Blood and Coffee
by LateNiteSlacker
Summary: Dirk swore he'd never put a human in danger again, not after his past mistakes. But after a chance encounter at a local coffee shop, he admits something more than the coffee is drawing him back.
1. A Vampire and his Barista

**Chapter 1: A Vampire and his Barista**

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><p>Halloween. You love it and hate it.<p>

Usually you just hate it, because stupid teenagers make the night a living hell for you. But tonight, you have a good reason to love it. This Halloween is different than the rest.

This Halloween, Jake English is wearing a witch hat.

You are Dirk Strider. You're a vampire with an affection for a certain coffee shop barista that probably borders on obsession.

No, wait. It's definitely obsession.

Despite your work fighting demons and kicking their asses back to Derse where they belong, you take time every evening to frequent the local coffee store down the street. Namely to admire the eye-candy behind the counter in the form of one highly attractive Jake English.

You walk into the shop and stand in line behind a group of teenage girls dressed as slutty nurses and devils. Despite the cold and stony exterior everyone says you have, you feel a small smile come to your face as you watch the barista hard at work behind the counter.

It's Jake. Your favorite adorable barista.

You watch Jake smile charmingly at the girls while he hands them their sugary drinks. It could be your imagination, but you think his smile widens when he sees you in line.

"Strider!" He says with that adorable smile on his face. In his excitement to wave to you, the witch hat he's wearing tips slightly over his eyes, and he laughs, pushing it back. "I was wondering when you'd show! Happy Halloween, eh?"

Jake is so adorable in that hat that it's unfair. You want to tell him that, but he's not quite your boyfriend yet, as much as you want him to be. "Right on time. Happy Halloween, English. Nice hat." With a small smirk you flip the wide brim of the witch hat playfully, noticing that it actually looks pretty worn. You wonder if he wears this hat every Halloween.

Jake laughs and swats your hand away. "Shall I get your regular or were you looking to be a bit more festive today?"

"How about a Jake special?" You suggest. "Be daring. Be bold."

"Right-o! One daring and bold drink coming up!" He says, practically skipping off to begin making your drink. Fuck is he cute.

You notice that there isn't really much of a line behind you, so you're clear to take up Jake's time as much as you want. "How's the night been? Any interesting costumes?"

Jake looks like he's mixing more than the usual vanilla creamer with your coffee tonight. There's a look of concentration on his face that only adds to his adorableness. As he mixes just the right blend of flavors together, he says, "eh, you know how it is. Mostly half-dressed high school students. There have been a couple of adorable little kids though! I gave a cookie to Iron Man and he promised to buy me a pony in return."

"How generous of him," you remark, leaning against the counter and watching as Jake turns around this way and that to make your drink. You love watching Jake work. You could easily watch him all night, and on occasion, you have stayed with him till the shop closes, chatting the night away.

"What about you?" Jake asks, swirling a bit of whipped cream on top, even though you know you've told him you don't like it much before. "Any plans tonight?"

Despite your demon hunting profession, things have been remarkably quiet lately. Sometimes trouble stirs up around the graveyard on Halloween, usually from teens messing with things they shouldn't. But you doubt that will happen for a few hours, after prime trick or treating time. That leaves you with plenty of time to watch your favorite barista work. "Might check out the graveyard later, but I'm free till then. How about you?"

"Off in about twenty more minutes actually!" Jake exclaims with excitement, handing you your drink and grinning toothily. "I call this the cool guy special. You wanna kill time with me till your graveyard shenanigans?"

"Cool guy, huh?" you ask, smirking and taking the drink. You don't care much for the whipped cream, but you've seen the way Jake stares when you lick it off the top. So you take your time, swooping your tongue along the perfect peak of cream that Jake created. You scoop the cream up and swallow it before placing a lid on the warm pumpkin flavored drink and sipping it. Of course it's delicious. Everything Jake makes is. "I suppose this cool guy could be convinced to hang out a little longer."

Jake watches you carefully the whole time, and you smirk a little inside as you note the way his face heats up while you put on that show. "Splendid!" he stammers quickly, leaning on the counter beside you. As if he's looking for a distraction, he quickly asks, "are you dressing up as anything?"

You love the way Jake watches you. And you love the way he blushes and stammers afterwards, as if he's guilty of doing something wrong. If you didn't know better, you'd think your feelings for each other might be mutual. No, you _know _they are, but you can't bring yourself to say anything. It wouldn't be fair to involve Jake in your life, considering what you are and what you do for a living.

Jake would always be in danger. From the demons you hunt… and from yourself. You're a demon too, after all, and your past is far from clean.

No, it's much better to keep your attractive barista crush alive for another day of ogling at the coffee shop. When you hear Jake's question, you spread your hands apologetically and reply, "just a cool guy at your service."

Jake laughs a little too loudly in a manner that can _only_ be described as a giggle. It's the most beautiful thing in the whole world, and you'd love to hear more of it. Jake stifles it far too quickly for your liking.

Before you can say anything else, you sense an unpleasant presence approaching. You're scowling inside before Cronus even enters the establishment. When the door chimes, you watch Jake stand up straight to greet his customer, groaning a bit as he says, "Welcome…"

Even though he's harmless, Cronus is a lesser demon and a nuisance. When he enters, you murmur, "here to cause problems again, Ampora?"

Cronus smiles a bit too widely for your liking, and you just _know_ he's going to be a bother. He swaggers to the counter and says, "Strider, fancy meeting you here. You come to stare at sugar-butt too?"

You frown as Cronus smiles even wider at Jake. "I'll have a caramel mocha. EXTRA creamy." He punctuates that last statement with a wink.

Jake doesn't say a word, but he does flush at Cronus's lewd remark. You want to deck the demon right here and now, but you also can't cause a scene.

Not in the coffee shop. Not in front of Jake.

Maybe later.

"Don't gotta be all shy, baby," Cronus says. "If you're gonna turn red, I can think of other things to really make that blush spread."

Don't start a scene. Don't start a scene.

You eye Cronus venomously and say, "Why don't _you_ stop harassing him? Jake's too nice to say anything, but I'm not."

"Wvhy Strider, you got a little schoolgirl crush goin on?" He responds cheekily.

"It's fine Dirk," Jake says. You know it's because he is trying to keep the peace and his job. Stiffly, almost robotically, he hands Cronus his drink with a forced smile. "Here you are Mr. Ampora! Extra Creamy the way you like."

Cronus sips from the drink but unfortunately shows no sign of leaving. "You knowv me so vwell. I think wve should get to knowv each other better. Like wvhat you got goin' on under that apron." He says with a wink.

You feel the fury building deep inside, but you really don't want to cause a problem for Jake. This job is Jake's livelihood, and if there's an incident during his shift, it will reflect poorly on him. Besides, Cronus knows exactly what you are.

If Jake were ever to find out, you would have to stop coming here. The general populace doesn't tend to take kindly to demons in their midst. Jake would probably be scared of you. He might try to alert the local authorities, which would definitely be the worst, because then you wouldn't be able to see Jake anymore.

_You wouldn't be able to see Jake anymore_.

The thought hits you like a freight train and you instantly feel sick to your stomach. You've only known Jake for a few months now, but the thought of never seeing him again is one you can't entertain.

Of course, all demons have a policy of keeping each other's secrets, but you don't completely trust Cronus. "You got your drink, now you can leave and stop bothering us."

But Cronus doesn't seem like he's in any hurry to leave. His smile widens again as he says, "vwhat a lovesick fool! But I like sweetcake's butt too. No sign on the door saying vwe can't share… I'm sure he tastes better than that coffee. Isn't that right, Jake?"

"Erm…" Jake laughs nervously. "I… I wouldn't know. I've never tasted myself!"

Cronus leans extremely close to Jake, their faces centimeters apart. In a far too seductive voice, he murmurs, "so let me find out, doll face."

You are going to kill him. You can't take it anymore, and you find yourself growling before roughly shoving Cronus away from Jake. Your eyes are full of vindication as Cronus sputters, his drink splashing a little on the floor when he's thrown back. You growl, "get AWAY from him! Nobody wants your disgusting tongue down their throat."

Jake hops over the counter to stand between you two. "Now you listen here! No tomfoolery will be had in my presence!" He places his hand daringly on your chest. This is as close as you've ever been, and even though he's technically being diplomatic right now, some small part of you loves the fact that he's _touching you_. Jake English is actually _touching you._

You're paralyzed, unable to believe how incredibly warm he is.

His love. His caring. His trust in the world that he knows nothing about.

And suddenly you realize it.

You've fallen ridiculously hard for Jake English.

A human.

Jake Fucking Human English.

You're certain that if Dave knew about this, he would adapt Romeo and Juliet to you and Jake, make a shitty webcomic about it, sell millions of dollars worth of merchandise, and have all the little preteens getting their panties in a bundle over your doomed love-life.

And really, who are you kidding? Of course Dave knows about this. He makes it a point to know everything about your life like the little snot he is. He's probably already a few thousand dollars into the profit margin with his shitty t-shirts of you and Jake.

You push the thoughts of your obnoxious brother aside and instead think about Jake. You've fallen for him, and you don't want anything to hurt him in any way. Definitely not a lecherous Ampora.

But, you're unable to do anything but listen as Jake says, "Mr. Ampora, would you like a few napkins? Your next drink can be on me."

Cronus stares between you and Jake for a moment before a mischievous grin stretches across his face. "On you, huh?" After saying that, he has the gall to lean in close and kiss Jake's cheek. "Can I lick it off?"

Finally, you lose it, grabbing Jake away from the other demon and holding your crush closely by the torso. It's risky, because if you're wrong about Jake, he may never talk to you again. But you have to make Cronus stop bothering Jake for good. Turning his head with the palm of your hand so Jake can't see your face, you lower your shades and show Cronus your vivid orange eyes. "Go away, Cronus. He's _**mine**_."

Cronus catches your possessive drift immediately, recognizing that look. He knows what you're implying. Whether it's true or not, you're saying Jake is _your _human. And vampires are very protective and picky about who interacts with their chosen human.

Of course, Jake is not your human. Not yet. He's not even your boyfriend yet, but Cronus doesn't have to know that.

Scoffing, Cronus brushes himself off. "Your kind are no fun, Strider." He frowns but decides not to cause more of a scene. "Later sugar-butt. Maybe I'll see you again if the Chief gets bored with you."

And with that, he finally leaves the store.

About fucking time.

Jake stands in your hold for a moment, listening to the bell chime to signal Cronus's departure. The customers, the couple that are left in the store after that fiasco, finally stop gaping and go back to their own conversation.

Jake looks at you and frowns crossly, "that Cronus, where does he get off acting like he's the queen of France?!"

"I like that you chose Queen," you comment.

Jake rolls his eyes, "it's true. And hush you! You caused a big enough commotion as is!"

"Yeah, I know," you agree somewhat sheepishly. "I can go now. Get on with my graveyard shenanigans."

"No!" Jake exclaims quickly, then flushes a bit and speaks again, a little quieter this time. "I mean, couldn't you stay a bit and perhaps keep me company until my shift is over? It shan't be too much longer, I assure you, old chum!"

How could you possibly say no? With words like "shan't" and "old chum" Jake's going to make you fucking swoon. So you swoon yourself into one of those comfortable seats against the wall. It gives you a perfect view of Jake as he bustles to attend to the line of customers that suddenly stream into the shop. It's a win-win situation, regardless of which direction he's facing. If he's looking your way, you get to see that cute little smile as he greets each customer. If he turns around to blend a drink, you get that cute butt that's just begging to be touched.

Suddenly, your vision grows just a shade darker, and red text appears in front of your face. "_You're staring again._"

You frown. This is undoubtedly one of the biggest drawbacks of having your ex-lover's ghost trapped in your shades, able to watch everything you see and do.

It's a long story that you're not going to think about right now. Instead, you think back, since your ex-lover's ghost can hear all of your thoughts. "_You can stare just as well as I can, Hal."_

"_Damn straight I can. Oh no. Wait. Let me fucking swoon into this chair since my little princess knees can't handle the thought of barista Jake English blinking in my direction!_" Hal sends back to you.

"_If I didn't know better, I'd say you're jealous_," you think back smugly.

"_You do know better. I am,_" Hal admits pointedly.

"_At least you're honest_."

"_I've always been honest with you. And look where it got me,_" Hal comments snidely.

"_Hal, please. Can we not do this right now?_" You think back wearily.

"_Sure thing, __**old chum**__. We've got a whole long lifetime for me to remind you of your faults. Of which you have many. Many many faults._"

"_Is there a reason you're pestering me?_" you ask.

"_Jake English. You're obviously in love with him. I may be jealous as fuck but I can see that._"

"_Yeah so?_" you ask, knowing that it's pointless to argue with someone who can read your thoughts.

"_So you need to stop beating around the bush and tap that ass._"

Suddenly, your vision goes completely dark, and you realize that it's because something's been thrown over your head. Hal's words disappear from your view, and you hear that adorable tell-tale giggling. Lifting the offending item, which happens to be the witch hat Jake was wearing, off your head, you see Jake beaming down at you.

"You dork," you grin, standing and placing the hat back on Jake's head. "I think it suits you better."

"Why thank you!" he says, adjusting the hat on top of his head. "It's been around in my family for ages! Grandma says it's actually magic."

You watch with amusement as Jake reaches forward and attempts to fix your hair where the hat has flattened it. He looks so fucking adorable, catching his lower lip in between his teeth as he focuses on making your hair the perfection you crafted it into earlier. Which is impossible, you might add.

"There we are, good as new!" he says, laughing a little.

"_You're letting him touch your perfect hair? Le gasp."_ Hal's words flood briefly across your vision before disappearing. You choose to ignore him.

"Actual magic?" You ask instead. "Don't tell me you're planning on causing trouble in the graveyard like those teens."

"Gramma would boil me alive if I were to do such a thing! Spirits are not meant to be trifled with, and if they are behaving in such a way there is always a reason!" Jake says, far more adamantly than you expected. "Needless to say, I believe in a lot of things that other people likely think are only pretend. But I've seen too much in my life to think this is all there is to it."

"_Well spoken. Give the kid a fucking medal._" Hal sends, and you know it's sarcastic.

Again, you ignore him and think about your little crush. You're not sure whether it's good or bad that Jake believes in so many things. You wonder briefly if he believes in vampires too, but you aren't about to ask him something like that. Instead, you smirk and murmur, "Sounds like you've got a lot of thoughts in that head of yours."

You try to take a sip of your coffee but realize that it's empty. Frowning at the cup, you toss it in a nearby trash can. "Empty already? Fuck. The world is a sad and cruel place."

Jake laughs loudly, and it brightens your entire world. "I can always make you another," he offers. "Though you should probably stop soon. Don't wanna be up all night, eh?"

Suddenly, he pauses, and his cheeks redden, as if he's just realizing that he made terrible innuendo. "Erm, that is to say uhh…" he stammers.

You choose to let him off the hook and ignore that prime set-up. Instead, you say, "Have you paid any attention at all to the time I usually come here? And then number of espresso beans you put in my drinks? I'll be fine, English."

You pause, grinning at him playfully, and continue, "now _you_. I have to wonder what you would be like with this much pure caffeine running through your veins."

You'd say more, but you stop yourself, because just mentioning Jake's blood is reminding you that you need to feed tonight. Ugh. Pesky habits.

"Probably bouncing off the walls!" Jake exclaims, giggling in a way that is sinfully cute. "I actually am very careful with my caffeine intake. Too much makes me very productive and then very sick! But I make such good coffee it's almost a shame I can't partake in it as much as I'd like. My veins just aren't as tough as yours, I'm afraid."

Internally, you wince as he mentions his veins, and hence his blood, again. You feel a sudden pull towards his body, his blood. You want it. You wonder what his tastes like? Surely it's better than all the rest. Coming from someone as attractive as Jake—

"_Keep internal monologuing, and Jake is gonna leave your ass here,_" Hal sends to you, likely tired of hearing your thoughts of attraction towards someone who isn't him. Of course, he hears your thoughts and sends, "_much as I love the gushing of your fluttery whimsical emotions—no wait. I don't love them at all. You never used to have this problem before. What the fuck happened to you?_"

Deciding to ignore Hal again, you instead focus your attention back to Jake. And the possibility of a relationship with him. And stupid teenagers that will probably be invoking the wrath of evil spirits in the next couple hours. Hal's right. You have to move this along. "I think it'd be cute watching you go on a caffeinated tear. But anyway, you wanted to talk about something?"

Jake's playful expression turns into a more serious one, and his eyes grow wide as he stammers, "yes, it's just—Strider—" Jake trails off suspiciously, running a hand through his messy hair.

Jake's—nervous? Is your little barista boy nervous? Fuck. That means he's probably going to talk about exactly what you were worried he was going to talk about. Which is really stupid to even be thinking about, since you should be listening to Jake, who is still talking to you and—

"_**Shut your fucking brain up or you're going to miss it!**_" Hal screams at you in large bold letters.

"I really... like you," Jake says, glancing up at you with a small smile. "I like _being_ around you. Um. I'd like to be around you more. If you'd like to let me?"

The way he looks at you, so full of hope, how could you possibly tell him no?

Before you can speak, he continues, as if he's in a rush to get everything out that he's wanted to say for a while. "I haven't felt anything for anyone in a long time you see, and if you don't feel the same, I'd rather be told now than strung along," he explains, looking slightly dejected just at the thought. His voice quiets as he says, "I'm not sure I could take it."

You feel your non-beating heart pulled by Jake's words. Feelings that nobody else could make you feel. You know it should be way too early to say this, but you almost suspect that you _love_ him. But if you were ever to hurt Jake, you don't know if you could take it.

For a moment, you pause, waiting for Hal to say something. Something snarky. Some retort.

He's silent.

Hal's waiting. Normally, you would try to figure out why, but you don't have the time for that right now. Jake is expecting an answer from you. "Jake," you finally murmur. "I do feel the same way. Everything feels lighter, brighter, when I'm around you. I'd really like to spend more time with you."

You want to tell Jake more, but you can't do it here. Not in a public place like this. There are far too many eyes and ears around for the sensitive sort of thing you want to tell him.

Jake snaps you out of your melancholy by grabbing both your hands. It's like the guy never quite learned about personal space. "You truly mean it?! Can we—tonight perhaps. I know you've got your graveyard shenanigans later, but we could go for a stroll or something. Admire the Halloween decorations."

You're still reeling from the fact that Jake just _touched_ you. Like actually touched your hands together. "Yeah sure. Let's go," you agree, still in somewhat of a stupor. "You bring a jacket? It's a little chilly out tonight."

Jake gives you an elated smile and admits, "No, I wasn't planning on being out tonight, but it'll be fine. Shouldn't be too chilly."

Frowning, you don't hesitate to remove the jacket you were wearing just for the cool guy ironies and drape it over Jake's shoulders. You know that Jake will get cold outside and maybe sick if you're out for a while, whereas nothing will happen to you. "You should take this," you tell him, not giving him time to argue as you walk out the door, holding it open for your cute barista boy.

Jake stares at you in stunned silence for a few seconds, and you wonder what is going through his mind. You hope he isn't going to change it and decide he doesn't want to go with you. You hope you weren't being too forward by throwing your jacket at him.

He takes all of your worries away when he smiles at you in that adorable way with his teeth peeking slightly out from behind his lips. "T-thank you!" he sputters, quickly walking through the door and leading you both outside into the night.

As the door closes behind you, you feel that it's signifying the end of the coffee-shop pining you had for months. You're finally going out into the world with Jake by your side. And no, he's not your boyfriend yet. You're not even close to where you'd like to be in your relationship, but this is the first step into something exciting and new.

You can't wait to see where the night will bring you.

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><p><span><strong>LateNiteSlacker's Notes:<strong>

This is a collaborative fic between myself and Sachi-sama! I write Dirk and she writes Jake. We are switching off chapters and points of view to give you the best possible experience!

Hope that you love this story as much as we do!


	2. A Night on the Town

Sachi here! We were gonna wait to post this chapter, since LateNiteSlacker is fond of weekly posting, but we decided to spoil you since it's a holiday for us Americans. (Basically I begged her and no one can say no to the puppy eyes!) Technically I'm late, but it still counts!

"There's so many things I have to say  
>I'll stay up all night to hear about your day<br>We do the best we can in a small town  
>Act like kids in love when the sun goes down"<br>-"Coffee" by Copeland.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: A Night on the Town<strong>

The stars are twinkling overhead, bright enough to rival the light of the moon. They're reflected perfectly in the ocean underneath, almost like two night skies stacked atop one another. In the distance, there are the sounds of the bustling city celebrating the holiday, but all you can really hear is your own heartbeat pounding in your head.

You're Jake English, and this night is turning into a dream come true!

You're really nervous though—and who wouldn't be with someone like Dirk Strider walking beside them? You've been ogling the guy for months, ever since he first came into the coffee shop. And then you finally were able to string sentences together around him, and you considered that a major accomplishment in itself. He comes every night to see you, and it wasn't until a few nights ago that you thought he might find you as interesting as you find him, and you noticed by accident.

Dirk isn't the kind of guy who says a lot. You've noticed that about him as well. It could potentially put a damper on things because you like to talk _so much_, but Dirk only doesn't say much with his _mouth_. His body language speaks volumes, and the volumes they speak happened to reach you when you noticed him staring at you. At first, you weren't sure if he really was. You chalked it up to wishful thinking, because how could you possibly be sure when he's always wearing those silly sunglasses of his? But his head is always tilted toward you, and when your line is full and someone else mans the other register, he waits off to the side for you to be able to take his order. He's said it's because no one's coffee is as good as yours, but you couldn't help but wish there was more to it.

And then tonight, eureka! He said he felt the same! You weren't imagining it! You're happy you got the nerve to say something, even if if potentially made you feel like you were going to vomit. Staring Dirk Strider in the face and asking about his feelings was definitely one of the hardest things you've ever had to do. But it was worth it! Here you are, wearing his jacket, walking with him in the starlit night, no one around but the two of you. And sure, you're both being quiet, but you think it's a comfortable silence. Most of the other people in the city are out taking their kids trick or treating, and you're grateful for the solitude. You tilt your head back to observe the stars, various constellations your grandmother taught you running through your head, when you notice Dirk's head is tilted toward you again. You smile at him, deciding to test your little hunch.

"Staring again, eh?" you ask cheekily. He actually _jumps_ beside you, as if he wasn't expecting to get caught. "You do that quite a bit, heh."

"Sorry," he blurts out before you can continue.

"No, I mean. Um." You scratch the back of your head. "I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking in your direction a bit as well."

It might be your imagination, but you think Dirk moves a little closer to you.

"So, Strider!" you say, lifting your arms so the jacket sleeves will stop covering your hands, "tell me about yourself. I don't know nearly enough! And don't just say you're a cool guy, I know that already."

He grins and your heart skips a beat. He doesn't do that nearly enough, and you wish he would. Dirk looks so much better when he's smiling.

"Hmmm," Dirk says thoughtfully, "I have a younger dipshit brother. We both grew up in Texas before coming here." He stops there, his head tilting toward you again, as if he's trying to decide whether that was too much information to tell you. You have to stifle a laugh because him being nervous is actually _really_ cute. "How about you?"

"Only child, I'm afraid," you say. "But I have my share of 'dipshits' in the family. My cousin John is definitely the bane of my existence when he chooses to be. He calls himself the pranking king." You shake your head when you hear John's silly little laugh echoing in your thoughts. "But he gets that from his father."

"How about your parents?" Dirk asks.

"Dead, I'm afraid. Car accident when I was three. Yours?"

"Not around. Pretty much raised my younger bro alone and kick myself every day that he turned into such a shit."

"I'm sorry to hear it," you say quietly. "I've had more than enough time to move past my own loss. My grandmother raised me, and she's always been a wicked old gal at everything she's set out to do, including rearing me!" You smile when you think of her. "If I could wish for anything, I think it would be having enough money to pay her back for all she's done."

"She sounds like a kickass guardian," Dirk agrees.

"Oh, she _is!_" You say happily. "She's the person I most look up to!" You stop because you don't want to seem like a grandma's boy, even if that's exactly what you are. You regroup. "She's been ill recently, so she sleeps more than I'm accustomed. And those bloody hospital bills are no joke either."

Dirk is quiet for a moment, but then he asks, "Is that why you're always working?"

"Yes. Those double shifts are tiring, but they work wonders when it comes time to pay bills. I've not got time to be lazy when there's so much to be done!" You try to smile reassuringly at him, eager to get your mind off these dark topics. "But she's more than worth every hour spent on the time clock."

"Sounds rough," he comments. "Is...there any way I can help?"

"Um!" Wow, to say you're surprised would be an understatement. Dirk really must be a one of a kind guy to be so generous! You'd never ask someone for help in this sort of situation though. You appreciate him very much for thinking of you enough to ask. "Just keep coming to the shop, heh. That supports the business and...I, erm. Rather enjoy seeing you."

You stare pointedly at the ocean beside you, marveling at the way the rippling current distorts the mirror image of the night sky, when you jump in surprise. Something is wrapping around your hand. You look down and practically fall over when you realize it's Dirk's hand enveloping yours. _He's holding your hand_. You look up at him, unable to stop the smile that spreads across your face, your heart bursting into hyper-drive as you link your fingers through his, admiring how they just _fit_ together. His hands are cold, but yours are probably colder. You squeeze his fingers playfully, and you laugh when he squeezes yours right back.

"Enough about all that," you say, swinging your linked arms happily. "What's this brother of yours like? Aside from your affectionate slurs toward him."

"Ugh," Dirk grunts. "Name's Dave. Always wants his way." He frowns. "Takes my stuff _all_ the time and _never_ stops whining."

You laugh, both from Dirk's words and the look of distaste on his face. "Goodness. He sounds quite the opposite from Mr. Cool Guy at my Service."

"_Completely_ different," Dirk nods sagely. "He'd drink all your coffee if I ever brought him."

"Well you should definitely bring him then!" You say. "That'd be great for sales."

"He's picky as hell," Dirk disagrees. "Trust me, you don't want him anywhere near you."

"I'm sure it'd be fine, you worrywart. But we shan't do anything to make you uncomfortable!"

Dirk smiles again, shaking his head at you. His feet stop moving, and with his hold on you, he stops you right along with him. You look up at him questioningly, but he's not looking at you, is staring at the two night skies you were admiring earlier. You can feel he wants to say something,but he's silent, and you decide not to push him just yet. Instead you scoot closer to him and lean your head on his shoulder, admiring the beautiful scenery. His breath catches, barely audible, and you grin to yourself, nuzzling against him.

"This is really nice," you say softly, and you hope it doesn't sound silly. All the two of you have done is walk around and exchange small talk. But just having him _close_ like this is wonderful, and it's something you only allowed yourself to think about in the past, as you never thought you'd have him next to you like this.

His head tilts against yours. "It is," he murmurs. You squeeze his hand again and feel his happy sigh exhaling into your hair.

It's quiet again, and there are a thousand things running through your head that you want to tell him—most of them frighteningly sappy. You choose to stay quiet, hoping your close proximity to him is speaking your feelings for you. You're not exactly the best with words, and you feel like anything you say will destroy the mood.

"Jake," Dirk says softly.

"Hm?"

"I..." He curses slightly when a chiming noise fills the air, breaking their serene little bubble. You lean away to see Dirk reaching for his phone with a scowl on his face. "I gotta go."

"Wha-" You can't help but tighten your hold on his hand. "Why? It's so early..."

"It's—hard to explain," Dirk sighs. "Trust me when I say I'd much rather hang out with you, but I can't really take you with me."

"If you had other plans, you could have said you didn't want to come along with me," you say dejectedly, dropping his hand. You can tell when you're being brushed off, and you don't care much for being jerked around. Dirk is giving you a pleading look, his phone going off again, which he pointedly ignores.

"Jake, it's not—fuck it's not like that. My job is dangerous. I can't really explain it, just trust me."

You blink confusedly. "But...I thought you said something about a...graveyard? That's your job? And it's dangerous, you say?" You think for a moment before it clicks. "Eureka! I know what's going on here!"

"You do?" Dirk asks, eyebrows raised.

"You bet your bottom dollar I do! Dirk Strider, grave robbing is _illegal_ and I shan't let you do something so horrible! If you're that strapped for cash, there are various jobs that are hiring!"

He stares at you for a moment, and if you didn't know any better, you'd think you saw his glasses flash red. He flicks them and then he laughs. He's laughing! You're frozen as he moves closer to you, his arms wrapping around you and—he's _hugging_ you! He's hugging you tightly to him and you probably should push him away since he's going to do such an awful thing for money but you tilt into him anyway, deciding you could probably take him down if he decided to silence you.

"Jake, holy fuck," he breathes, still laughing at you. "I'm not a grave robber. The outlandish things you think of."

"What are you going to do, then?" You mumble, finally wrapping your arms around him in turn. You won't let him go so easily! You don't believe he'll stay out of trouble! After all, he always orders coffee so _late_, and that means you've been fueling his deranged habits! Oh, your grandmother will be so ticked if you've been peddling coffee to a criminal—

He sighs, you can feel his breath in your hair, and golly that's a pleasant feeling.

"Gotta go scare some troublemakers off. The ones who mess with things they don't understand on Halloween. It's part of my job to keep the peace between both worlds." He pulls away to look at you. "They could accidentally summon something much more dangerous than they're intending—"

Your blood runs cold. You know all too well the consequences of faulty summoning. And to let other people deal with it as well...

"Well what are you waiting for!" You ask, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "Dirk Strider, your dawdling could have a terrible outcome!"

"You really shouldn't come-"

"It's a free country, chum!" You call back. His hand squeezes yours, and you think you can hear him laughing again, but with the rush of wind in your ears, you can't be certain.

The graveyard isn't very far away, merely a few blocks. You get the feeling Dirk can outrun you on those long legs of his, but he stays right beside you, your hands clutched together. As soon as the graveyard comes into view, Dirk steps ahead of you and tilts his head back—is he sniffing the air? He jerks his head to signal which direction to go in, and you stay close to him, looking around yourself warily. Your hair is raising on the back of your neck at the possibility of something bad being here...and you can't help but be curious how Dirk has this job. Something about him has always seemed different, but this takes the cake! No one you've ever met outside of your family has believed in the same things you do, and here Dirk Strider is, saying he has to defend the other world that no one believes in. What exactly is he?

"Shit," Dirk murmurs, and you're jerked from your stupor. In the distance, you can hear screaming. "Stay here!" he hisses, and then he's off. Wow, is he fast!

You stand still, awkwardly rubbing your arms and hugging Dirk's jacket closer around yourself. You can't sense anything evil in the air, so you think whatever reckless kids are out here haven't managed to invoke anything too troubling. Hopefully Dirk can get to them in time to stop them from causing more trouble.

You look up when you hear the sound of heavy footsteps, and you notice a group of about five teenagers rushing through the graveyard. Hey! You made coffee for a few of them!

"Ghosts, holy shit!" One of them screeches, tugging his friend along faster.

You frown after them and look back in Dirk's direction, worrying your bottom lip. Nothing spiritually evil in the air, but that doesn't mean one of those scared teenagers didn't freak out and whack Dirk against the head with a heavy stick or something. And you still have a lot of questions to ask him! You see no reason to continue standing still, regardless of what Dirk told you to do. He isn't the boss of you, after all.

You move along the graveyard, toward the direction Dirk ran off into. But then—you can feel a presence in the air...a melancholy spirit? Twisting your head around, you change direction, going instead toward the feelings of despair and flickering anger. The closer you get, the stronger the feelings become. You press forward until you can hear quiet sobbing. Alarmed, you run toward the source, your heart clenching when you see an elderly woman propped against one of the tombstones, her head in her arms. She's not exactly solid, her features visible but mostly transparent. You approach her cautiously as to not alarm her, but her head snaps up in your direction regardless.

"Oh, great!" she sniffles, eyeing you suspiciously. "Another one! Here to disturb even more of us?"

"No, ma'am," you say gently, moving closer. "Why are you crying?"

"Why do you think!" she snaps, the air growing chillier with her anger. "I didn't want to be here! I was resting and—here I am! All because you kids think it's funny to mess around with things that are better left alone!" She warbles miserably, the sound echoing in the night air.

You sit close to her, but not too close. You don't want to impose upon her personal space, and it's important she knows you don't mean to make her uncomfortable. She's still glaring at you, but she doesn't do anything to try and make you move.

"I'm sorry," you tell her truthfully. "Sometimes people don't understand that messing with otherworldly beings is a bad idea. The thrill of the unknown entices some! And ma'am, if you were resting properly, they wouldn't have been able to summon you. Human spirits pass on if they're truly at peace."

"Resting properly?" she asks, finally losing the malevolent stare.

You nod. "If you're here as a spirit, it means you weren't laid to rest properly." She looks as if she's about to start sobbing again. "B-but don't worry!" You hurriedly tack on. "I can help you!"

"How?" she sniffs.

"Well," you frown, "what's keeping you here? Why don't you want to pass on?"

"So it's my fault, is it?" she hisses at you. You stare calmly back at her. It's not exactly uncommon for stranded spirits to lash out while they gather their thoughts.

"Do you reckon it's just because you're frightened?" you ask her.

She looks at you as though she'd like nothing more than to slap you across the face, but then her expression softens, her transparent body curling in on itself.

"Wouldn't you be?" she asks softly.

"I would," you say honestly. "It's that unknown factor again. Sometimes it entices you, and sometimes it scares you away. But I think in this case, it would be worth it."

"What if...I'm not me anymore?" she inquires.

"You will be. Look at you! You don't have a body anymore and you're still yourself!" You smile at her encouragingly. "My grandmother says death is like falling asleep. You can fall asleep and keep getting woken up, and be a cranky customer! But if you fall asleep properly, you'll be refreshed, and ready for the next adventure." You scoot closer to her. "This isn't the end. It's just another beginning."

"You really think so?" You're directly beside her now, and she's within your reach, even if you can't really touch her.

"You'll be at peace," you say, reaching to brush the tears off her face. Your hand seemingly goes through her of course, and there are no tears on your hand when you pull it away, but it still gets her to smile. "Which means no more tears."

She wipes her tears and shakes her head at you, a grin spreading across her face. She looks at you again before her eyes widen, looking _through _you. "Oh," she breathes. "A _light_. I've seen it before but I—"

"Hey," you murmur. "You're ready. Don't be afraid, you can do it! And if you decide to turn back, well." You run a hand through your hair awkwardly. "I'll, erm. I'll be right here!"

"Thank you," she says shakily, standing up and moving past you. You keep an eye on her until she fades, and then her presence disappears entirely.

"I knew you could do it!" You say happily, smiling a bit as you pull yourself to your feet. Now to find Dirk! You turn around to see he's actually very close behind you, a surprised look on his face.

"Jake," he says, moving toward you. "That was...incredible."

You find yourself flushing at the sound of Dirk's voice giving you a compliment. You fumble to pull his jacket tighter to give your hands something to do to stop them from hanging uselessly at your sides.

"It was nothing, heh..." You tell him. "You should see what Gramma can do." Looking back up at him, you find he's directly in front of you, his hand suddenly on your cheek. You sigh, tilting into it, pleased to have him so close.

"Don't sell yourself short, that was amazing. _You're _amazing."

Your heart is pounding in your ears. His face is so close to you and he's saying these incredible things to you and—he's leaning closer... You close your eyes, standing on your toes a little to reach him, but he moves right past your lips, his mouth brushing against your ear as he whispers into it.

"Dunno about you, English, but I think a graveyard is a bad place for a date."

You shiver, opening your eyes slowly to see him grinning at you. You nudge him with your hip and walk around him, leading him back out into the street.

"Who says this is a date?" You ask cheekily. "I'm not feeling very romanced."

"Tough one to woo, huh?" Dirk hums, grabbing your hand. "That's fine. We've got time."

"Is your job over already?"

"Yeah. We got there in time for me to see them freaking out over the ghost of an old lady. But you helped her before I could." He tilts his head toward you so you know he's looking at you.

"About your job...how—how on earth did you acquire such an odd profession?" You inquire.

"Long story," he says. "But I promise I'll tell you later. It's not exactly..."

"First date small talk?" You finish, and he grins at you, nodding. "I see! Well then I'd certainly like to wait until you're comfortable divulging such information to me."

"Thanks," he murmurs. "But Jake, how long have you been able to see and talk to the dead? Most humans can't do that."

You frown when he says the word "human" like he's not one himself, but decide not to comment on it. At least, not for now. "Since always. My grandmother is a witch, Dirk. It runs in the family." You adjust her old hat on your head with your free hand, thinking of all the spirits you've seen her help over the years.

"So you've dealt with this sort of thing before?" he asks.

"Oh, always. Gramma offered seances and tarot readings and Ouija board sessions to those who were grieving. More often than not, if there's a living person in need of closure, there's a spirit in dire need as well, and they'll be unable to pass on unless they receive it! Our house has always been full of various spirits, passing through to get her help. I'm not nearly as adept at it as Gramma is, but I can at least talk to them. Sometimes it helps."

You continue to babble for a while, probably longer than you need to. Dirk listens to every word you say, laughing at some and shaking his head at others. The two of you walk down the street, through a neighborhood where the houses are decked out for Halloween. You pass children with bags of candy, giggling and yelling after each other that they want to trade. You pass parents jogging to keep up with their children, giving you and Dirk breathless smiles as they pass.

It starts getting colder, and you're seeing less and less people out. You have no idea what time it is, but you know it's getting late. Normally you'd be up for staying out a lot longer, but you worked a double shift today, and even the excitement of Dirk's hand holding yours can't stop the yawn from leaking out.

"Tired?" Dirk asks. You nod, leaning against him as your legs carry you.

"Long day," you mumble.

"C'mon," Dirk says, tugging you along. "I'll walk you home. Where do you live?"

You sleepily give him your address, and he leads you into your own familiar neighborhood, your grandmother's whimsical doodads chiming and swirling in the wind as you approach her house. You yawn again, stopping to face him as he accompanies you to the gate.

"I had a great time with you tonight, Dirk," you say with a smile. "I'd like very much to do it again soon."

"Yeah," Dirk agrees. He cups your cheek again, pulling your face close to his. "Jake..."

"Dirk," you breathe, closing your eyes again. When nothing happens, you frown at him. "Dirk Strider, if you don't kiss me this instant, I'll be sorely tempted to kick you."

He chuckles, the sound music to your ears as he leans in all the way, brushing his lips with yours. You hum, pulling him closer to you, following his lead as his mouth moves, his lips so soft and perfect. This simple kiss is already more than you ever thought you'd accomplish, neither of you doing anything to deepen it—at least not yet. Your hands move into his meticulously crafted hair, running through it as you playfully nip his lip, enjoying the sound it draws out of him. But then it's his turn to tease you, and when he licks into your mouth with a quiet sigh, you think you surely must be dead.

His tongue swirls around yours, his hands holding you in place, and _oh. _You're so infatuated with him. Your world is spinning rapidly on an entirely new axis, centered around Dirk. Your hands clench in his hair, and he makes a slight growling noise that only further fans the flames spreading in your body. Still, you have to pull away. As wonderful as this is, you can't continue snogging him outside your grandmother's house all night. There's always next time.

Both of you are breathing heavily, Dirk's hands still holding your face as he tilts his forehead against yours.

"_Jake_," he groans quietly, his breath mingling with yours between your faces.

"I'll see you soon?" You inquire, petting through his hair. It's much softer than you would have thought, what with him putting so much product in it.

"Fuck yes you will. You'll see me tomorrow."

You laugh at him, pulling him into a much gentler kiss, just admiring the way his mouth fits over yours. Finally, you pull away, turning to go inside.

"Oh, wait!" You say. "Dirk, I still have your jacket."

"Keep it. I'll come get it tomorrow. Not like I really need it."

You hug it around yourself, happy to have an excuse to keep it on. It's comfortable, but more importantly, it smells like him.

"Alright then," you smile. "Goodnight, Dirk."

"Goodnight."

He stands there, watching as you go inside, but when you look through the window of the door, he's already gone. You lean against the door, hugging his jacket around yourself and smelling it like a lovesick fool when you notice your grandmother is still awake, sitting in her armchair as she watches something on television. She shakes her head at you, but doesn't comment.

You rush upstairs, grateful that she can't see the wide smile on your face.

* * *

><p><strong><span>LateNiteSlacker's Notes:<span>**

Once again, this chapter was written by the wonderful Sachi-sama! Check out her other work if you haven't, because it is awesome!

We are switching off chapters, so the next one will be written by yours truly. ;)

Take care everyone, and enjoy the new year!


	3. To Love a Human

LateNiteSlacker here! First of all, congrats on making it to 2015! You did it! Set some goals for yourself. The more ambiguous and lofty, and the less they're able to be interpreted by anyone else, the better! ;D

But in all seriousness, hope you have a great year! Let Sachi and I help you start it off right with chapter 3!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: To Love a Human<strong>

Jake English is definitely a thing. A delightful thing that is happening.

A human thing.

You are Dirk Strider, and you are finding it hard to concentrate on anything else. You can't stop thinking about Jake. How he helped that ghost cross over to the other side. How he kissed you.

How he's a human.

Jake fucking human English has your soul, and it's not goddamned fair.

Why does he have to be a human? Another vampire, a werewolf, an incubus. Even a fucking first guardian of the universe would be better!

But no. Jake English is a human. An adorable human with an infectious smile and laughter that makes your heart want to melt.

Dave, your annoying as shit younger bro, asked you once a long time ago what the big deal was. Why did it matter if a vampire wanted a human? Wouldn't it be a win-win sort of thing?

No. You'd explained to him that it's lose-lose.

Because, as a vampire, you want nothing more than to protect your mate. But if that mate happens to be a human, then you want nothing more than kill them.

Because being a vampire has pretty big baggage. Baggage that goes by the term "blood lust."

You unwittingly demonstrated your point fifty years ago. Dave never questioned you about it again.

"_Sign up to be a fucking first grade teacher, because you're the best at educating by example,_" Hal's red letters flash brightly across your vision as you walk through the streets.

"Hal," you murmur tiredly back to him.

"_You'll never make that mistake again. Nope. Oh wait. You just did. Hope you have another pair of glasses ready. Maybe you'll actually spring for something designer and cool since you love this one so much. Oh wait. Maybe you could put him in a pair of pants since you've always wanted to get into his. And the next one can be a shirt. You'll have a fucking dead boyfriend __**wardrobe**__ by the time you're done._"

You would argue back, but it's been this way for months. Ever since you laid eyes on Jake English, Hal noticed how much you liked to stare at him from behind your shades. Unfortunately for you, from his vantage point in front of your eyes, Hal can see everything you can see. Hal noticed before you did when you fell in love.

Yes, you think it's true. You're in love with Jake English. And you barely know him.

Ok, maybe the last part isn't true. You've had months to talk to him at the coffee shop. You know a few things about him.

You know that he has absolutely no taste in movies. He literally loves anything he watches. You know that he lives with his grandmother, who he loves dearly and would gladly sacrifice his life for. You know that he washes his hair with the cheapest shampoos in the stores because he's saving money for something. But you really don't care what he washes with because you love the way the coconut, apples, and strawberries 'n cream scented shampoos mix with his naturally intoxicating scent.

You love the way Jake English smells. You loved the way he felt when you kissed him.

If he would let you, you have a feeling you would love the way he _tastes_.

"_Spare me the fucking details __**please**_**,**" Hal sends. "_How about this. Rather than whine and moan about how much you want him for the next few decades until your precious human Jake English passes away, why don't you actually do something about it?_"

"You know why," you growl at him.

"_Can't have history repeat itself? Don't worry. Apparently Jake is special enough that he'll be just fine._"

"Will you ever stop being a jealous smarmy asshole?" you grumble to him.

"_Never_," he says, but he doesn't send you anything for the rest of the night.

You walk through the city streets until it gets late. And by late, you mean early. The sun is about to rise, and you know that you'd better get back to your place before that happens. The sun doesn't exactly mix with your skin very well.

Tomorrow, you decide, you'll tell Jake English how you feel. Tomorrow you'll walk into that coffee shop, charm him off his feet, and take him to places he's never been before.

* * *

><p>Tomorrow comes.<p>

You don't know what the fuck you're doing.

Beneath your cool exterior, you're a complete nervous wreck. You actually notice your hand trembling a bit as you hold the special coffee that Jake made for you. He even put a little heart on the cup next to your name.

Damn it. Why does he have to be so fucking adorable?

"_Because he wants you, you idiot._" Hal sends to you, stating the obvious. "_He wants to get into your fucking bed and do the __**do**__ with you._"

"_He hasn't for the past month,_" you think back. "_He hasn't even wanted to come over to my place. Why would he suddenly want that now?_"

Oh yeah.

It might not actually be _tomorrow_ either.

It might actually be _one month_ since that day you kissed Jake.

"_It HAS been a month, you lovesick idiot,_" Hal grumbles. "_Why do you have these terrible monologues with yourself all the time?_"

"_Why do you keep responding to them?_" you think back to him.

Hal falls silent, which is a small blessing in itself.

The coffee shop line dies down, and Jake finally has a chance to fucking prance over to you. He's like an angel floating to you on a cloud, bearing you gifts of coffee to help quench your horrible vampiric thirst that you still haven't fed.

A thirst that Jake still doesn't know about.

Yep. A month into dating this lovely human and he still doesn't know you aren't like him. He knows you stay out all night, which he finds comical. But though you know he _wants_ you during the day, he doesn't want you enough to actually _call_ for you. And thank fuck for that, because the less time you have to spend out in the daylight the better.

Jake has remained content to see you every night at the coffee shop. And you mean literally _every night_. Jake works even on the nights he isn't scheduled, picking up as many shifts as he can. He must have something he really wants to buy, or be in a hell of a lot of debt, because when you asked him about it, he simply smiled and told you he could use the money.

He never loses his cheer though, and that you find both remarkable and endearing. Every day, he greets you with a sunny smile and a "Jake Special" coffee made just for you.

You trace your thumb over the little heart he drew next to your name on the cup. He's been adding one there for exactly five days. The first time, you thought he was just being cute, but now you're starting to wonder if it's something more. Is he trying to tell you something with this simple little heart, drawn in a black sharpie marker?

Or are you just imagining things? Creating fictitious thoughts and ideas where none exist?

While you remain deep in thought, Jake comes out from behind the counter and tugs at your waist until you shift and hug him loosely. He's already put away his apron and thrown on the jacket you let him borrow forever ago. You love it when he wears your clothes. "What's with the serious look, Strider? I dare say I've seen possums with a more cheery disposition!"

"Possums? You've got all the creatures of the world and you went with possums?" You ask him flatly.

"Have you ever seen a particularly cheerful possum?" he challenges, eying you pointedly.

"Can't say I have," you admit.

"There you have it!" he says, as if that proves his point perfectly. "Possums."

"You gonna let me take you out on a date, or are we gonna stand here arguing about the local wildlife all night?" You finally ask.

"Let's go!" Jake says, stretching his arms out. "I've been here 60 hours already this week! It's high time for a break!"

"I think this coffee shop would go out of business without you working," you comment, throwing your arm over his shoulder and leading him out into the night.

"My cousin works here too," Jake remarks. "I do believe he could pick up the proverbial slack! Anyway, do you have any interesting targets tonight?"

Oh yeah. Jake might have been helping you with your targets the past month too.

Anytime there are ghosts involved, he is remarkably adept at peacefully wooing them to the other side. You've watched on the sidelines in awe as Jake coerces them in that special way of his, helping guide spirit after spirit to peace. It's a beautiful talent that you've never seen in a human, or anyone, before.

If the targets are a little too vicious, you let Dave handle them. You know that Jake would never agree to hang back, and you don't want to put him in too much danger. Dave bitches and moans every time, but he can deal with it.

For the smaller targets, like the one you have tonight, you are actually happy to bring Jake along. It's nice having him by your side. You kind of hope that this can be a thing that happens more often. That someday you and Jake will be able to fight off those more vicious demons together the way you and Dave can.

"Just some teenagers causing problems in the graveyard again. We've got a little time to get there. It's usually just the weak spirits that respond to their calls," you murmur, walking languidly with Jake. You have no destination in mind, and that suits you just fine.

"Another spirit for me?" Jake asks, his eyes sparkling with what you would swear is happiness. You think that helping these spirits in their journeys to self-peace makes your boyfriend happy. And if it makes _him_ happy, it makes _you_ happy.

Yes, you are a lovesick idiot.

Jake takes you on a little detour by the seaside. It's become a little habit of yours to hit the same spot where you shared your first kiss together every now and then. As you stand there overlooking the sea, Jake leans his head on your shoulder. You pull him close with one arm and think about how small you really are in the grand scheme of things.

The ocean is so vast, like the chaos that still exists in the world. You and Dave do what you can to keep the city safe, but there's no way you can watch over the entire realm. And there's no way you can possibly handle Derse. That's why you have backup there. But that's a sore spot and you don't feel like thinking about that right now.

When Jake rests his head on your shoulder, it reminds you of what you were all too eager to declare to Cronus a month ago. You told him Jake was yours. Even though it's not true, Cronus won't know the difference. He'll no doubt spread that around as he whines to the entire demonic population. It'll circle back to Derse.

You sigh about as you think about what that _really_ means. It's more than what Jake probably thinks it is.

Declaring that a human is _yours_ is a big deal. It's a possessive ownership, and with it comes a responsibility to protect.

Love usually isn't part of it. You've known several demons who only use their humans, but you don't want it to be that way.

You don't want a pet human. You want Jake to be _yours _and you want to be _his._

You want to _bond_ with this human.

You want to _belong_ to Jake.

You want to share each other's _very souls_.

You could see how some might find that intimidating. But you aren't about to take advantage of Jake like other demons with their humans. You won't treat him like some object you own. Another flashy gadget of the day.

But you have to face the facts.

Jake isn't even your boyfriend yet.

That's right, you've been kissing him and making fucking soft-core porn with him on a nightly basis, but he has yet to say you're his boyfriend. Then again, you haven't exactly asked him.

But what do you say to him? You've barely known each other. You've only talked a few months. What do you even say? Be my boyfriend? You open your mouth and pray for some smooth-talking to come out.

"Let's do this more often. Going out together. Being this close," are the words that actually come out of your mouth. And wow what the fuck. How was that anywhere near smooth?

Jake doesn't seem to mind, and he gives you a big goofy grin before leaning in and kissing you on the jaw. You kiss him back on the cheek, then the corner of the mouth.

You only hesitate for a moment before lightly brushing your lips against his. It's not like this is new. You've been kissing him for the better part of a month now.

Jake responds to you by smiling into the kiss and tugging you closer. He wraps his arms around you and _fuck_ you could get lost in this man. You already have. You're like Little Red Riding Hood in the woods and Jake's the wolf that you'll gladly let consume your soul.

Except.

Except it's actually the other way around, isn't it? Jake's the innocent little coffee-shop barista that you, the hungry predator, picked up. You've been the one wooing him night by night, lulling him closer to you, lowering his securities until he's perfectly content being this close to you. Until he's the one pulling _you _closer and begging for more.

"I'd like that. I'll take whatever time you've got," Jake finally replies, giving you a goofy grin before pulling you into another deeper kiss. He runs his tongue along your lower lip in a silent plea for more, and when you part your lips he is eager to deepen your kiss.

This is new. Your kisses have always been fairly chaste before this, but you find that you don't care. You _like_ having Jake's tongue in your mouth. You're excited as fuck that he wants it there.

You've never been more thankful that your fangs aren't out prominently on display unless you want them to be. Jake's tongue should be safe inside your mouth, and you are so grateful for that. You love the way his tongue slides along yours, licking teasingly and then deeply inside.

"Goodness Strider," Jake gasps against your mouth with surprise and pleasure. You feel his heartbeat quicken and see the flush that rises to his cheeks. You love every bit of him. "You're so bloody beautiful."

You're more than willing to let Jake pull you in, your lips meeting again and again. Kissing Jake makes you feel truly alive. You're refreshed, as if a piece of your lost innocence has come back. As soon as you think the thoughts, you reflexively brace for the red text to bombard your shades, but it never comes.

Jake pulls back and looks up at you through heavy lids, stroking your cheeks and smoothing his hands up into your hair. He's messing it up a little but fuck does it feel _nice_. You love feeling those fingers on your skin and his hands that still smell faintly like the coffee they've been preparing all night. "No, English. You're the attractive one."

You feel yourself being drawn to Jake again. Wanting to taste more of this man than just his lips. Wanting to have him, to _drink him up_, and truly make him _**yours**_**.**

You shiver as Jake slides along your lips and tongue again. You want nothing more than to kiss him all night. To taste him. To have the warmth of his tongue in your mouth.

His blood down your throat.

"Nnnh!" you gasp, pulling back sharply and forcing Jake back an arm's length from you while you fight back the urge that's suddenly pulling at you overwhelmingly. Being this close to Jake is reminding you of just how long it's been since you really drank anything. Coffee only quells your thirst temporarily, and you're starting to need something more substantial.

Unfortunately, Jake doesn't know about your inward struggles. He looks crestfallen and hurt. His voice is quiet as he says, "I—hope I didn't step on any toes I just—"

His voice breaks off as he offers you a shaky grin. "I'm sorry Dirk. I think um. That I should go—I'll see you." He doesn't say any more before breaking away from your grasp and taking off into the night.

Fuck! That is not what you wanted to happen. Way to be smooth.

Why did this have to happen _now_? You scold yourself for not feeding before seeing Jake. That's something you really should have taken care of before you visited him tonight. And every night. But you never really thought that this could be a thing. That your cute little barista boy would truly want you back as much as you want him. And now because of your foolishness you're about to lose him.

Fuck that. You've got to make things right. You've got to do it NOW.

"Jake!" You exclaim, running after him and catching up easily. You catch him from behind and pull him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry I did that. I'm just—"

You pause. You're just what? Quick. You need a quick excuse!

"—scared of commitment," you respond lamely. "But I know I've never wanted anyone by my side more than you. Please don't run away, Jake."

"Scared of commitment?" Jake asks, turning to give you a confused stare. "That's the last fear I would've pegged you to have."

Silence envelops you both for a few seconds, and you wait for what seems an eternity, looking into Jake's emerald eyes and hearing the fast beating of his heart.

Finally, he sighs, "Come here you great oaf." He pulls you into a comforting embrace, threading his hands through your hair.

For a second, you feel elation. As if you've solved the most complex code ever.

And then that second passes. Jake, not realizing what he's dealing with, pulls your face into the crook of his neck, despite your awkward height difference.

"Just calm down," he croons to you gently. "Let's just both calm down."

But he doesn't realize that you _can't_ calm down right now. You're a hungry vampire and he's just put your face in the worst place possible. Your breath catches in your throat because FUCK you can smell the alluring scent of Jake's blood beneath his skin and feel the wild pulsing of his heart, kicking into overdrive from nerves and adrenaline.

You feel your twin teeth lengthening of their own volition, the sharp points digging into your lower lip. "C-can't do that Jake—" you respond shakily. "I—hnnn—"

You find yourself licking Jake's neck, ready to bite into the warm flesh of this far too attractive man. You can't stay like this. You can only fight what you are for so long, but if you pull away again, Jake might think you don't want him.

Jake, naturally, takes it the wrong way. You feel his heartbeat quicken further and the warmth spreading through his body. You get the feeling he _likes_ you licking him. "Dirk—" he sighs, his voice breathier than usual. Gently, he tugs you closer.

It's too much.

Whimpering, you feel your teeth digging into your own lip deep and hard enough to draw blood.

Fuck, Jake just pulled you closer.

Fuck fuck fuck…

You don't want to scare him away, but you can't stop your instincts. And when your body is already screaming at you for blood—

"J-Jake," you murmur shakily, trying to warn him, but you don't even know what you're trying to tell him. "I'm—"

You shudder as you try to keep it together.

You fail miserably.

Before you can stop yourself, your tongue is on Jake's neck again, and your teeth are touching the tender skin of his neck…

"Nnn!" You gasp, quickly and roughly pushing him away, feeling your vampire instincts receding just a bit with the distance. But your head is still swimming, and your body is still screaming at you to _bite him_.

"Dirk," Jake murmurs, a very hurt expression on his face. He looks like he wants to run away again, but for some reason he stays. There's a fierce look in his eyes as he demands, "What in the blazes is going on with you?! You kiss me and then you push me away. You lick me like you want to fuck me and then you push me away! I've had it Strider! Tell me what's going on. Talk to me."

You're at an impasse. You could tell him what just happened. You could come clean with him.

You could tell him what you are.

Or you could just keep this all under wraps. You could keep shoving him away when you're stupid enough to see him before feeding. It would hurt him, but it would keep him _safe_. Not knowing about you, and about your kind, is the safest option for him. Looking at the adorable boy in your arms, clinging to you, the latter is so very tempting.

You don't want him to get hurt because _you_ pulled him into something terrible. You would truly hate yourself if anything were to happen to him. If Jake were to die too-

"Jake," you begin but pause again because _fuck_ words are hard with your crush in your arms. Gently you lean in and kiss him on the lips. It's all you dare to do. Then you pull away quickly and keep him at arm's length from you. "I really like you Jake. Really _really_ like you. But…"

You shouldn't have said that last word and let it trail like that. The hurt expression Jake gives you makes _you_ hurt too. Probably worse than him. "Dirk, if-if you don't like me the way I like you, can you… at least stop k-kissing me?"

You hear the sadness in Jake's voice and curse yourself again. "That's not it," you insist. "I like you a lot, Jake. I want to be with you. Live with you. Do everything with you."

It's somehow a lot harder to articulate what you want to say with Jake staring at you with that agonized expression on his face, but like hell if you aren't going to try!

"I said that because I'm bad boyfriend material. I'm," you pause. "—not good for you, Jake."

"So what then?!"' he exclaims, angrily pushing you away. "T-tell me things about how great I am and kiss me and stick around to—to what?! SLEEP with me?! Lead me on?! But you're not in this for anything other than yourself! You've already heard me tell you h-how much I—"

Jake trails off, but you can guess what he was going to say. Instead, he rubs away a stray tear from under his glasses. "You fear commitment right? Then why are you even here? Do you LIKE jerking me around?!"

Oh shit. You're just digging yourself into a deeper hole and sweet little barista boy is absolutely right. You're jerking him around with these wimpy half-assed answers. Either you have to tell Jake the truth and risk being exposed, forcing yourself to move away forever—

—or you could lie to him. You could tell him you don't actually care about him. You could push him away to keep him safe.

"Jake, I don't—" you start to say. Because it's the right thing to do.

Lie to him.

Tell him you don't care about him.

Tell him you don't actually love him.

But you can't.

"—I don't want to hide things from you anymore," you finish instead. "Jake I know I've barely known you, but I love you."

You don't get the reaction you were hoping for. Instead, Jake freezes up and stares at you, completely at a loss for words. Then he clenches his fists. "Then why are you being so CRUEL to me Dirk?!" He asks, sniffling angrily.

And those other things you can't do? Those things you weren't going to tell him to keep him safe? Looks like you'll have to tell him that too.

You sigh and close your eyes for a moment, sensing for other presences around. You don't feel any. It's just you, Jake, and the wide ocean. It's now or never.

Slowly, hesitantly, you reach up for your shades. Jake has never seen your eyes, your single most giveaway sign of how inhuman you are.

"Jake, I have to tell you something," you begin gravely. "And if you hate me and never want to see me again after this, I'll understand. But I can't hide this from you anymore. You're too important to me."

Slowly, you slip off your shades, revealing your orange eyes to the man you love.

"I'm not human, Jake."

Jake's eyes widen, and slowly, he reaches up and cups your cheeks with his hands, splaying his fingers against your skin. "Dirk, you—," he breathes, his words trailing off.

You brace yourself. You've done it now. If Jake accepts you, life could be beautiful, but if he hates you—hates _what you are_—you might have to leave him forever. It would be simple to stop frequenting that coffee shop where he spends pretty much his whole life. It would hurt you like fuck, but it'd be possible.

You might never see Jake again.

Jake opens his mouth again, and his brow furrows as his expression turns to one of anger. He balls his hands into fists and pounds at your chest. "—you stupid STUPID MAN!"

You don't say anything, because you honestly have no idea how to take that. Was that a good response? You don't think so?

He looks at you with fury behind his emerald eyes. "THIS is what you were hiding from me? THIS is why you were yanking me around like a dog on a leash?!"

When you don't say anything again, he sighs at you with exasperation. He continues and his voice is filled with barely contained rage, "I know _all about_ your world!"

Now you're the one at a loss for words. "You do?" you ask lamely.

"Of course I do! I'm not stupid enough to think that we're alone in the universe!" he shouts at you angrily. "I've helped you with countless exorcisms this past month! You've SEEN me do it! So you're some kind of demon. Why the blazes should that matter?! It doesn't mean I like you any less!"

Now _you_ feel like the lame one, because how could you have misjudged Jake so much? Are you really such a glutton for self-pity and loathing that you assumed Jake wouldn't understand? Wouldn't still like you?

Yes. You are. And that's exactly what happened.

While you're being delightfully internally retrospective, Jake continues his tirade. "I don't give a flying fuck if you're a demon! It doesn't mean I want to be with you any less, Strider! It doesn't mean I wouldn't be your—"

Finally, he stops, ending his rant abruptly. When you look into his eyes and gauge his expression, you know exactly what he was trying to tell you.

Boyfriend. That was the word he wanted to say. But he's waiting for you to say it first. You realize suddenly what an idiot you've been this whole time.

Jake was always waiting for you to ask.

You realize you're playing a dangerous game, but it makes your heart want to leap.

Carefully, you collect his hands in your own and look at him meaningfully. There are a thousand things you could say to him right now. Things you want to tell him. Things you want to ask him. But you've only got one shot to pick the right thing.

"Jake," you begin, hoping beyond all hope that you say the right thing. "I'm sorry I misjudged you. I assumed you wouldn't understand. Demons aren't exactly well received in most polite society. Most humans wouldn't even consider having a demon boyfriend."

And finally, _finally_ Jake's angry expression cracks and shifts into a small smile. He laughs softly and pulls you into a hug. "I'm sure you've realized I'm quite a bit removed from polite society. And I don't give a damn what other people think about having a demon boyfriend. It's something I wouldn't mind… if you wouldn't mind."

You melt against him and whisper fiercely, "I wanna be your boyfriend. I've wanted that for so long but I was afraid you wouldn't want me once you found out."

"And I've been waiting far too long to hear you say that," Jake responds, making your breath catch and your heart threaten to beat. He looks up at you and with a twinkle of mischief in his eye says, "Dirk, be my demon boyfriend?"

"Be my human," is what you instinctively murmur back to him, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug.

Jake reciprocates, embracing you tightly and kissing you over and over. Your lips meet sloppily and your tongues slide along each other's fervently because you want him. You _need_ him.

And Jake wants you. Jake _wants_ you!

After all this time, you finally have a boyfriend.

You slide your hands lower, cupping his primo choice ass, and he gasps, pulling you closer. You could be mistaken, but you're pretty sure he pushes his arousal against yours on purpose, and _fuck_ does it feel good. Jake is your everything.

And he's yours. Jake's _yours_.

He rests his head on your shoulder, making tiny incredibly hot sounds as your dicks touch through your clothes. You need to have him. You need to be filled with him. To have him inside you. His body. His blood.

You want him.

_You want him. _

_**You want him.**_

Your tongue is on Jake's neck again, and before you can stop yourself, your teeth are already pricking Jake's tender skin, drawing a few small drops of blood. You can't help licking them up hungrily.

Jake instantly clenches your hair tightly. "Aahh… D-Dirk…." he murmurs, the words slipping out of his mouth as he pulls you even closer.

You know that you shouldn't be doing this to this innocent little barista boy, but you can't stop yourself anymore. Jake's practically pleading for you to continue. And even though you know it's a side effect of a vampire's bite, you can't help pretending that Jake actually wants this.

You sigh and begin lightly sucking on Jake's neck, sating your thirst with some of the most delicious blood you've tasted in a long time. Jake must have a kind and pure heart to produce a taste this sweet. You hold Jake closely and continue pretending that those pleased sounds coming from him are intentional.

Jake couldn't possibly actually enjoy being bitten and bled, could he?

But when you wrap your arms around Jake, he makes what is unmistakably a pleased sound, moaning for you again. "Nnn… Dirk…" You feel the fire of desire burning through his body as he gasps a little and tilts his head aside, allowing you more access.

You moan softly because—fuck—Jake tastes so good. You shouldn't be surprised, since you usually feed on the bottom of the barrel of society. Typically, you choose the sort of people who you and the rest of the world won't miss if you feed on them a little too much. Not that you would.

You've only made that mistake once.

But Jake is completely different than those people. He's different than most people. Jake is filled with sweetness, warmth, and love.

…wait, love? Fuck.

You're still a little thirsty but you have to stop. You shudder as you force yourself to stop taking Jake's blood. Carefully, you lick the wounds on Jake's neck closed and, nuzzle your nose into the boy's neck, forcing your teeth to recede back into your mouth.

As your senses come back to you, you realize how badly you just screwed up.

You just bit Jake.

You fucking _bit him_ right after he decided being boyfriends with a demon was kosher.

It took you two whole minutes to completely betray his trust, but there's no going back now. You wouldn't even think about taking his memories from him, making him gently forget about the last few minutes like you do to the people you feed from every day. You couldn't do that to Jake. Instead, you fumble for an apology.

"Fuck Jake… fuck, I'm so sorry," you murmur even though you know that nothing can fix what you just did.

"Sorry for what?" Jake sighs and tilts his head to kiss your hair while his hands trail down to rub your back. "What's the matter?"

You're stunned because _what?!_ Did Jake not notice you biting him and drinking his blood?

What the actual fuck?

When you look into his clear green eyes, you don't see any residual haze from your bite. Jake's in his own mind, making his own decisions that are unclouded by the lull of your kind. Could it be that he doesn't care? That he actually doesn't mind you feeding from him? That he actually _likes_ it?

No, you can't hope for that.

Jake's expression grows concerned when you fail to respond. "Really, is something the matter?"

"Jake, I just bit you," you admit bluntly.

"Yes, I know," Jake says. "And it felt downright fantastic."

"You don't get it!" you growl at him. "I'm not just a random demon. I'm a vampire."

"Oh," Jake replies, though he doesn't seem to care. "That's informative."

"This isn't a fucking information session!" You groan lowly. Squeezing him a little tighter, you regard him very seriously. "I was hungry and I just fed from you."

"Does it look like I care?" Jake asks, then he chuckles when he sees your shocked expression. "My cousin John has a good friend who is a vampire. She's the bees knees! I hear she feeds from her girlfriend all the time and they seem to be getting along fine and dandy. Just don't kill me and everything will be all right."

"_You hear that? Solid advice,_" Hal sends, the flash of red text finally pinging across your vision in your shades. You were wondering how long it would take him to butt in. "_Let's see if you can follow it this time._"

You ignore Hal because his banter is nothing new, but this relationship with Jake is very new. You give the human your attention, carefully placing your hands on his cheeks and kissing his forehead. "Jake, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Dirk, I can't read your mind, so I don't know what you think I'm saying," Jake says, giving you an easy smile. The light dusting of a flush across his cheeks is the only indication that he's nervous at all. "But what I _am_ saying is that I want you to be my vampire demon boyfriend. And I want it because I lo—"

Suddenly a terrible sound fills the air, stopping Jake in his tracks. You swear at god, fate, and everything that might have had a hand in making your cell phone go off _right now_. You check it and sigh, "looks like I've gotta get to the graveyard pronto. Those teenagers didn't learn their lesson last month. They've summoned demons again."

You turn to Jake to apologize, but he doesn't look upset at all. On the contrary, he looks positively _excited_. "This should be a great exercise of the old noggin!" He exclaims, and you honestly have no idea what he's referring to.

Rather than clarify, you nod and pull him along. Teenagers couldn't have summoned anything stronger than a minor nuisance of a demon that probably just wants to get back to Derse anyway. Jake should be safe.

Together, you jog with him to the graveyard. You quietly assess the situation and murmur, "there's a few of them. Maybe three. It's nothing we shouldn't be able to handle."

"Right-o!" Jake agrees chipperly, and again you have no idea what he is agreeing to. "I'll help one of them back, and we can meet back here to tackle the last together!"

You smile at him and silently hope he never loses his unique brand of enthusiasm. "All right. Just shout if you're having any problems. I'll find you."

You kiss him and watch him take off. Realizing that the sooner you finish this the sooner you can get back to kissing him, you head for the other weak presence. It doesn't take you long to find him. The horned demon sporting both vivid red and blue energy auras looks positively peeved to be here. "Sollux? Why the fuck did _you_ respond to a stupid teenager's call?"

"Does it _look_ like I wanted to respond?" Sollux answers, his voice still carrying the same lisp he's always had. "I was in the middle of coding something important when the portal literally opened up under my chair. _Under my fucking chair¸ Dirk!_"

You grin at him and respond, mocking his lisp just for the hell of it, "sounds positively pleasant."

"It totally wasn't," he says, glowering at you. "And cut it out. Imitating my lisp wasn't funny the first five hundred times you did it."

"I beg to disagree," you say, imitating his lisp one last time before dropping it. Instead, you shift to other subjects. "So if you're so eager to get back to Derse, make yourself a portal back and we can both get back to more important things."

"Since when do you ever have anything fucking important going on?" Sollux says, and you can hear the annoyance behind his voice.

Normally you'd dick Sollux around for at least another half an hour, because it's fun as hell to get a rise out of him. But tonight, you've got a different agenda. Tonight you've got a brand spankin' new boyfriend to kiss and make out with until he falls asleep.

"My _boyfriend_," you tell him smugly. "A cutie by the name of Jake English. So if you'd kindly fuck off back to Derse, I can get back to him."

For the second time this evening, you don't get the response you were aiming for. You thought Sollux would roll his eyes, or maybe even be mildly upset for bothering to ask. But instead, you get something completely different.

Sollux looks scared. "Did… did you say _Jake_ _English_?"

"Yeah," you agree slowly. "Why?"

"This is bad. This is _really bad_, Dirk!" Sollux mutters, looking more worked up than you think you've ever seen him.

"You're still not telling me why," you growl, growing tired of his antics. It's not really that you're that annoyed with him, it's that you're worried. Sollux was fine until you mentioned Jake's name. "How do you know Jake?"

He shakes his head. "There's not a demon in Derse that hasn't heard of Jake English."

Suddenly you're worried. VERY worried. "Why? Don't fuck around with me, Sollux. Tell me _why_?"

But Sollux only shakes his head again. "I don't have time to tell you. Your little boyfriend is in danger and we've gotta go now."

You sniff out the air, catching Jake's scent, and start heading for it. "Tell me something at least! Why's he in so much danger?"

"Because _he's_ here," the other demon answers, his voice falling into a hushed tone.

You are getting so sick of asking questions. "And who is _he_?"

"The self-proclaimed Lord of the Demons," Sollux says, his voice lowering to a tone that tells you he's almost afraid to say the name. "Caliborn."


	4. Past Demons

**Chapter 4: Past Demons**

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><p>Sachi here! I's my turn to do "Update Thursday"! Sorry for the wait, I moved and had a looooong battle with Comcast about my internet. It was legendary. But we're back now!<p>

A few IMPORTANT notes on this chapter: This one has some strong mentions of past physical and mental abuse. We're not adding the "Rape/non-con" tag in the story because it's never going to be in the story itself. It will be mentioned throughout this chapter, and possibly a few more times in later chapters, but never in any detail whatsoever. I thought it was fitting to put this here for anyone who might be uncomfortable! (Of course we have to go into these darker things on MY chapter. Also be mindful of the rating change and the tags throughout the story)

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><p>"Stupid fucking dipshit, don't just stand there! And is that a <em>smile<em> I see on your face?! Get the fuck over here!"

For the record, your name isn't 'stupid fucking duipshit', but Karkat has always had a flair with words. You're Jake English, and you move toward the irritated demon and untangle him from his own sweater. It's pretty comical, actually. If it wasn't so ridiculously oversized, you doubt he'd have managed to have his arm slip into the neck hole at an angle he can't seem to work with, but he's always been pretty tiny, so you decide not to mention his taste in clothes, and instead go with your other most pressing question.

"Why in the world are you _here_?" you ask, shoving his elbow down. He bends it like it's hurting, and then glares at you like it's your fault.

"I was _summoned_ you floundering meat sack," he scowls. He stands up and looks miserably at his even _more_ stretched out sweater, the neck of it loosely draping over one of his shoulders.

"Summoned? _You?_" You can't help it, you laugh into your fist, not even dodging when he charges at you.

"Let me tell you something, Jake fucking human English! Do you think I was sitting there and saying, 'wow I sure hope I get called to the shitty human realm tonight so I can see the most useless fucking dicklark in the universe'? No, okay, I was with Sollux and a fucking portal appeared under his chair, which I happened to be near, and then the next thing I know, here we are in Bumfuck Nowhere. So you can take your stupid big toothed smile and shove it up your own sweltering human ass, alright, I didn't ask for this!"

"I- I know, it's just—!" You keep laughing, mindful of the fact that he's literally turning as red as a tomato in his fury. But in your defense, he's always pretty angry about one thing or another. It's not a feat to get him this mad. "It's just that it was a group of silly teenagers who summoned you! They've already been scared away!"

"I sure hope so, or I'd have to bash their heads together." Karkat sighs loudly and gives you a scrutinizing look. "You sure look happy. At least one of us isn't feeling like complete shit."

"Oh, come now, Karkat, it's not all bad! It's a nice night at least! And besides, you could probably do with getting out a bit! Sollux is the fellow who is constantly on his computer, yes?"

"Don't even get me started on the long list of things that are wrong with Sollux Captor." He ruffles his hand through your hair before pushing your head away, shoving you right along with it. That's the Karkat version of affection. "He was doing some programming help for—" he pauses and looks up at you. And that's when you notice his expression change.

You've known him for a long, _long_ time. He was the first demon you ever met, actually. Your grandmother was always having people in and out of the house, collecting extra money with her seances and her exorcism services. But Karkat has always been _her_ friend, and by extension, your friend as well. You were tiny when you first learned of Derse, the realm of demons. And you were never really frightened of it, partially because of Karkat.

He's not like Dirk. You can look at him and tell he's not human. His skin has a gray hue to it, his eyes a yellowish color with red pupils. His teeth are sharp, every last one of them, and he lets you see them more often than not when he opens his mouth to yell at you. And in spite of all of these things, he helped you with your little kid issues that your grandmother was too busy for, like making blanket forts and playing adventurer with you. You were never scared of Derse and its inhabitants. Not until—well. Not for a long time.

You smile at him and pull him into a hug, which he verbally objects to, but returns like he always does.

"Gramma can probably fix your sweater," you tell him, wondering if that's what he's concerned about.

"Oh, fuck this sweater anyway. Is Jade still up? Since I'm here I might as well go see her," he says, looking over his shoulder. "Come on let's go. Let's go now."

"Yes, you haven't in ages! I'm sure she'd love to see you! Let me just go get..." You trail off when you notice he's not listening.

Karkat looks around again with wide eyes, and this time you _know_ he's concerned about something.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes," he says. Then he scowls and shakes his head. "Jake, you know I hate mentioning this to you since I know what it does to you...but Caliborn—"

"Don't." It takes you a moment to comprehend that word came from you without you even realizing you were speaking. "Please. Just Don't."

"He was the one asking for Sollux's help with some computer bullshit. Well, fuck that, he was demanding it. He was in the room with us."

Your blood runs cold and despite being in a huge graveyard it feels as though it's closing in on you. "He—he's here? He's here now?"

"I don't know," Karkat says. "But he might be."

Karkat is a very low level demon, and you've never met Sollux but you're assuming he is, too. Caliborn isn't. Caliborn is the biggest mistake you've ever made.

You'd been studying some of your grandmother's spell books. It was a little over two years ago, when her health first started to decline. You were already working at the coffeehouse, but you wanted to do all you could to take some responsibility off of her, so you were trying to learn all of her techniques. That was when you accidentally summoned him.

To this day, you're still uncertain why he answered your call. He's so strong—so _evil_. Until him, you'd never seen such a dark side of Derse. He hovered over you and smiled wickedly, looking you up and down. And that was all it took.

For an entire _year_, he tortured you. It was under the guise of a relationship, though it was never of the romantic variety. Unfortunately, it _was_ physical. Extremely so. And you never had a choice. You never wanted him, but he didn't care. He'd threatened your weakened grandmother, getting off even more so on your fear and panic. You couldn't tell anyone, especially your grandmother. The only one to ever know was Karkat, and he didn't find out until it was finally over.

You stare at him in fear, finally finding your voice. "I—I can't go..."

"Jake," he begins, "we have to—"

"No! You don't understand!" Your voice is high and panicked, your breaths coming faster. "My boyfriend is here and I can't leave him!"

Even in this extreme situation, you can't help but feel your stomach flip a little when you call Dirk your boyfriend.

You look around frantically, your body buzzing with adrenaline. You feel Karkat's hand on your shoulder but it's doing nothing to calm you down. Which way did Dirk go?! You have no way of finding him! You can't sense him and since Karkat is a weaker demon, he can't either.

"Jake, fuck, calm down!" Karkat grabs you around the waist and wrestles you to stand still. "Panicking isn't going to solve a goddamn thing!" He looks at you fiercely, "I'm not gonna let him do anything to you, okay? So calm the fuck down!"

You try to do as he says, knowing you're not helping anything. "Okay...okay I'm—I'm trying."

"Good. Sollux is in this trash pit of a graveyard somewhere, too. I like three against one much better if that bastard _is_ here."

"Four," you say quietly. "Dirk is a demon, too. He'll be more useful that I could be."

"Dirk?" Karkat looks at you sternly. "Dirk _Strider?_"

"...yes?"

"God_dammit_, Jake," he growls, running his hands through his already mussed hair. "I'm just gonna have to start controlling your love life because you're absolute _shit_ at it. Why can't you just date a nice human like every other human in existence and leave the demon population alone?"

"I didn't know he _was_ a demon!" you say defensively. "And even if I had, I wouldn't have cared! So what if he isn't human? Neither are you!"

"The _point_, Jake, is that you're _dating_ Dirk Strider, who has more enemies in Derse than anyone I've ever heard of! It's dangerous! You just got out of something stupid and dangerous, and here you are again, diving headfirst off a cliff like a stupid gerbil beast!"

"Lemming," you supply helpfully, and he flicks your forehead. "Hey! It's not like that! Dirk isn't like Caliborn at _all!_ He would never hurt me!"

"His record isn't exactly spotless," Karkat grumbles. "You aren't the only one who can't seem to date his own kind."

You're about to ask what he means by that when he grabs your hand and starts running back the way you came.

"Let's try to find them," he says. "Dirk's job is to send demons back to Derse, so this might not be too hard a job for him."

"And we aren't even certain Caliborn is here!" you add, feeling a bit more optimistic. "So this might all be for nothing!"

Still though, the thought looms over you. Even if you were extremely angry at Dirk for keeping his not being human a secret, you've not been entirely honest with him either. But really, how were you supposed to tell him about Caliborn? You never _wanted_ to be with him. And every other demon seems to be afraid of him... What if Dirk leaves you, too?

But he said he loved you, didn't he? He wouldn't leave you. He wouldn't! Dirk is too good a guy, you're sure of it! But still...it's so much to ask for. After everything Caliborn did to you, you're certainly damaged goods. And Dirk has no idea...

You cling tightly to Karkat's hand and wish you were anyone other than yourself.

* * *

><p>You are Dirk Strider, and you're pissed off at the world. Ok, maybe you're less pissed off at the world and more fearful for your new boyfriend's sake. You continue to sniff out his scent and follow it as you make your way through the graveyard. Sollux runs by your side, looking just as scared as he did when he first mentioned Caliborn's name.<p>

"I've heard of Caliborn… leader of The Felt. But he was just a small fry. They all were. Why is everyone suddenly so scared of him? And what's this have to do with Jake?" you demand.

"It's got everything to do with Jake," Sollux huffs beside you, looking like he's having a tough time keeping up with you.

You feel bad but you can't slow down. Sollux is going to hate you, but you've got to run as fast as you can for Jake's sake. You scoop him up like a football, carrying him under your right arm, and keep running.

"Fucking hell Strider!" Sollux exclaims.

"Answer the question!" You demand again.

Sollux growls, grabbing onto your torso so that he stops flopping around as you run. Once he's situated, he shouts over the rush of wind. "Caliborn's caused serious problems for Derse ever since you left. You're lucky your parents ditched you on this worthless rock when they did!"

You tighten your hold on Sollux warningly and growl, "don't."

"Fuck Strider!" he barks. "Don't have to be such an asshole!"

"And you don't have to go through a portal back to Derse. I could just squish you," you offer kindly.

At your excessively pleasant request, Sollux doesn't talk about your parents anymore. Instead he continues answering your question, "Caliborn started climbing the ranks from a small fry street punk to a crime lord feared by everyone. He's stronger somehow. Like he keeps getting power from somewhere. And The Felt are still weak as shit but they regenerate like no tomorrow. Everyone's scared of them. They threaten friends and loved ones if you don't do what they want you to do. It's why I was even bothering to help Caliborn with his little hacker problem...FUCK!" Sollux screams as you leap over a decorative little ravine blocking your way.

"Go on," you command. You can smell Jake's scent a little stronger now. You can smell his fear and you are worried sick. "Go ON Sollux!"

"He-he always had little prizes he would tote around," the lesser demon stammers. "Fucktoys that he'd show off and discard when they weren't fun anymore."

Your blood runs cold. You know where this is going and you hate it.

"Usually they don't last a week," Sollux explains. "They break. They die for one reason or another. But Jake-Jake somehow lasted _months_. Almost a year. Caliborn used him, beat him, abused him, but he wouldn't break. That's why… that's why everyone in Derse knows the name Jake English. Caliborn couldn't stop talking about how he was going to break him and destroy him."

"And?!" you growl, feeling like you should almost be there.

"And then one day we stopped hearing about Jake English. Caliborn said he got bored of him," Sollux explained. "We all thought he was dead, but Karkat found him."

Sollux looks like he has more to say, but you don't have time to listen to him.

You've finally found him. In the far distance you see your boyfriend, pinned against a tombstone by a giant green monster. "JAKE!" you scream, putting Sollux down so you can flash step even faster.

You've got to get to him before anything happens.

You HAVE to!

You're going to rip Caliborn to shreds for what he's done to Jake!

You're-

* * *

><p>You're Jake again, and you cry out as you're ripped away from Karkat. You don't even have to look to know who has you. Even if you can't sense him, there's no one else it could be. Dirk would never handle you so roughly.<p>

Karkat is thrown to the side, colliding headfirst with a tombstone. He doesn't get back up. Uselessly, you fight against the strong hold, trying to get to your friend. A strong grip grabs your jaw, and you're forced to look into the bright red eyes of Caliborn, as you have far too many times before. He smiles his sickly sweet smile at you, his teeth sharp and gleaming. He's not even trying to disguise himself tonight. He's in his true demon form, his skin slightly green looking, but somehow this is less disturbing than when he looks completely normal. This way at least you _know_ how strong and inhuman he really is.

"Jake," he coos at you, holding your body tightly to him as his eyes appraise you. "You look _good_. Damn good."

"I-I've been...keeping better company!" you say fiercely, trying to kick him. Alas, you can't get the leverage.

He laughs and you _hate_ it, knowing he's laughing at _you_. You've always seemed to be his favorite thing to laugh at. Especially when you try to fight.

"You're putting up a _fight_ again!" he says. "It's been so _long_. Last time I saw you, there was no fight left."

You growl and try again to get him to release you.

"You let me go! You said there was nothing else you wanted from me! So why are you doing this now?!"

"That was before when you were broken." He pulls you closer. "Now you're not so broken. Not yet. I would like to break you again." You cringe when he puts his face in your hair and inhales deeply. He growls formidably as he glares at you. "You smell like someone else."

Unable to think of anything else to say, you glare right back at him.

"_Jake," _he snarls, his hand moving to your throat where he squeezes tightly. "Who else have you been with? You're _mine_."

"I'm not!" you croak, finding it increasingly hard to speak with his hand closing your windpipe. "I was n-never...yours!"

He roars with rage and yanks your head to the side so he can sink his teeth into your neck. Unlike when Dirk did it, it does _not_ feel good. It _hurts_, and you cry out in pain as he drinks your blood deeply, swallowing mouthful after mouthful. Weakly, you try and push him away but it's no use. You don't have half his strength on your best day, and the way he's drinking you won't have any strength at all soon enough.

He pulls away and hisses in your ear, "You are _mine_."

When he did this to you before, you were always quick to agree with him because it made him less aggressive. But now, maybe because of your new relationship, or maybe because of the blood loss, you shake your head.

"'M not...not yours..."

It was, apparently, not the best thing to say.

He slams you into a large tombstone, knocking it a bit loose in the ground but mainly just rattling your brain when your head hits it. You feel a little bad about the grave he's harassing you over. Hopefully the departed person's spirit passed on because defiled graves are one of the main reasons they get upset. You'll have to offer an apology when you get away.

_If_ you get away.

He's never let you get away from him unscathed and you doubt he's about to break that streak now. You close your eyes as his hands go for your zipper, accepting your fate. You hope Dirk isn't having trouble... Hopefully he won't find you like this. That's one image you don't want him to have of you. You're a huge hypocrite for getting angry with him about not being honest with you. You _never_ intended to tell him about Caliborn. You never wanted _anyone_ to know.

You'll have to break it off with Dirk. You don't want him fighting Caliborn. Demons are so scared of him for a reason, and you don't want Dirk getting hurt because of you. It's not worth it. _You're_ not worth it. You think of how wonderful he's been to you so far and you try to focus on the way his gravelly voice sounds as Caliborn bites you again. Gosh, but you love the sound of Dirk's voice. Even now, in your memories, it sounds clear as a bell.

"JAKE!"

Huh. It sounds even clearer than you thought!

You open your eyes to see him running toward you, another demon beside him in silly 3D glasses. Caliborn pulls away from your neck to snarl at them and you blink in confusion, too light-headed and weak to understand the situation. Caliborn has taken a _lot_ of blood from you.

"Let go of him _now_," Dirk growls, lifting his sword, "and I may not make it as painful when I chop you to fuckin' _pieces_."

"Dirk Strider," Caliborn smiles, sniffing the air. "_You're_ the one he smells like." He tosses you to the side like a rag doll and you curl around yourself feebly, thinking this has to be worst thing for Dirk to possibly see after _just_ becoming your boyfriend. You're just an unlucky bungler, that's all there is to it.

"Sadly for you, Dirk Strider, he is _mine_," Caliborn says. "I've already claimed him. Find a different cumslut."

God, that name. You _hate_ when he calls you that. Like you ever had a choice in whether or not to be with him! You moan quietly and try to get up but you can't... Where he bit you is on fire and you're too weak to support yourself.

"Jake..." Dirk says sadly from somewhere. You can't see him from your current fetal position and you're glad he can't see you either. You already look pathetic enough. He doesn't have to see you cry, too.

"Please...please go..." you manage to say to him. "Don't fight..."

"See? He knows who he belongs to," Caliborn says with a fondness in his tone that makes you cringe.

Dirk snarls so loudly that you pull your hands away from your face in surprise to look at him, but you barely see him as he charges forward.

"No!" you shout, but it's too late. In an instant Dirk's blade is in Caliborn's hand, being pried away from him.

Dirk jumps back, his teeth bared and his eyes glowing through his shades, and you wonder how you ever could have thought he was human. He looks over at you before he roars with rage again, managing to land a punch in Caliborn's face, dodging when the larger demon tries to grab him. Dirk is _fast!_ But your attention is on Caliborn because he's...smiling. He's not the least bit worried about your boyfriend hurting him. And that terrifies you.

"You aren't gonna touch him ever again!" Dirk hisses. He looks Caliborn up and down, seeming to be sizing him up. "You're goin' back to Derse where you belong!"

He charges again, but this time, he doesn't get away. Caliborn grabs his wrist, flipping him onto the ground and stomping on his chest.

"I can go wherever I want," Caliborn grins. "That can be Derse. And it can be _not_ Derse." He growls and stomps again. "Right now I think where I want to be is on top of you."

You scream as Caliborn kicks him over and over again, filling the air with sickening snapping and crunching noises. A stream of blood spurts from Dirk's mouth and then—and then he stops moving.

"CALIBORN, PLEASE!" You beg, finally pulling yourself into a sitting position as you try to desperately reach Dirk. "Leave him alone, please, I'm yours!" You fall to the ground again as you cry, your arms shaking so badly they won't hold you up anymore. "I'll do whatever you want just—please stop hurting him..."

"I'm not going to kill you, Dirk Strider," you hear Caliborn say after a long silence, and you breathe a sigh of relief. "I want you to watch as I take him again and again. I want you to be powerless to stop me. You think he's _your_ human?" He laughs wickedly, kicking Dirk a final time. "I heard from Ampora that the almighty Strider had a human now. You haven't even _claimed_ him yet. And you never will."

Frantically, you look around for anything that could help. Dirk's sword, where did it fly off to?! You see the other demon trying to wake Karkat up, and you think to yourself that that must be Sollux before your world shifts as something lifts you in the air by the collar of your shirt. Blindly, you kick and punch in front of you, but it's not use. You're not strong enough to hurt Caliborn. And it's _your_ fault Dirk is hurt now, too.

"C-Caliborn, please..." you say quietly as he presses you into the tombstone again. "Don't do this...not in front of him...he's the only one that's treated me like...like he loves me..."

"I do not make promises," he snarls at you, his eyes flashing multiple colors. "I will have you. And when he attacks again, I will crush him."

"Jake..." Dirk moans feebly, coughing a worrying amount of blood up. You cry out and try to get to him.

"Isn't that so sweet!" Caliborn laughs. "He's coughing up blood for you! I think that you should bleed for me too, Jake." He slides a claw over your cheek, slicing into your skin. You whimper as he leans in to lick the blood away.

You never wanted any of this to happen. You just wanted to help your grandmother and maybe make coffee for your cute vampire boyfriend. But everything to do with you ends up spiraling out of control so you really shouldn't have expected this to be any different.

Just as you start to accept the fact that nothing is going to save any of you, you're suddenly let go of, your body toppling to the ground for the second time tonight. You look up to see someone that looks—remarkably like Dirk! He jumps on Caliborn, lifting a sword and plunging it into his neck.

"YOU—FUCK!" Caliborn screams, thrashing around, but this other fellow is as fast as Dirk, staying just out of Caliborn's reach as he stabs into the other side of his neck, pressing the sword forward until a stream of blood shoots into the sky. You take the opportunity to crawl forward to Dirk's side.

"Jake..." Dirk moans, and you sigh in relief, cradling him to you and petting his face.

"You're alright," you tell him. "Someone is taking care of Caliborn now."

"...what's he look like?"

"Um. Quite a bit like you, actually!"

Dirk moans again. "Fuckin' great..." He opens his eyes and you're just now aware of the fact his shades were knocked away, revealing his orange eyes. You _love_ his eyes so much! They reveal he isn't human, but more than that, he's so expressive without those silly shades. His eyes trail to your neck, and he growls softly.

"He hurt you..."

You touch your neck and feel where Caliborn's teeth pierced you. Your hand is covered in blood as you pull it away, and you laugh awkwardly, trying not to worry Dirk.

"Oh, yes! It's alright, though. He hurt you much worse. Are you—are _you_ going to be okay?"

"Jake," he says gently, pulling himself up. He cups your cheek and gives you such a sad look you wonder for a moment if he's dying. "He _hurt_ you. Didn't he?"

You stare at him confusedly. You're not all that hurt, considering! You're grateful all your clothes are still on, too. You'll have to thank your savior for making it in the nick of time to save your dignity, at least.

But as Dirk holds your gaze, you slowly understand. He doesn't mean tonight. He means before. Before you met him, when you summoned Caliborn by accident and sealed your own fate. You open your mouth, but no words come out. Nothing but a squeaking noise as your eyes burn and your vision blurs. You can't even look at him as your body shakes with suppressed sobs and you nod your head.

This is it, isn't it? He's going to leave you. He's going to know Caliborn won't just go away and leave you alone. He won't risk this happening to him again, not if he's smart. You haven't even had him for an entire day yet and you're already losing him.

You squeak again as you're pulled against him, and you bury your face in his neck, breathing him in as he holds you, petting your hair and murmuring soft comforts to you. You can't hold in your tears anymore, and you hope he forgives you for messing up his collar with tears and...other fluids.

"I- I'm so s-s-sorry!" You cry and hug him tightly as you try to form coherent sentences. "I n-never meant to! I didn't w-want it!"

"Shhhh, it's okay, baby. I don't blame you in the least, alright? It's him who should be sorry. It's his tears of pain I wanna see, not yours." He pulls you away from his neck and kisses your cheeks, his hands moving to try and dry your face, which is a losing battle. "I'm here now. No one's ever gonna hurt you again."

"But he h-hurt _you_!" With another wail, you reacquaint your face with his neck. "You're coughing up bl-blood!"

He sighs softly. "That was my fault. Underestimated his strength. Never dealt with a demon who used such strong bursts of energy before. He's way stronger than he looks but he's no 'lord of the demons'. He's not gettin' anywhere near you ever again, Jake."

You hug him tighter before you remember his injuries. You breathe an apology to him but he just laughs.

"I'm a demon, Jake," he says. "It's already mostly healed. It's _you_ we gotta worry about. C'mere."

He licks the scratch on your face, and you can feel the sting go away. You're positive your face is bright red because he laughs at you again before he leans into your neck, licking the deeper wound. You gasp softly because it _stings_, and he rubs your shoulders comfortingly. You feel him swallow—is he _drinking_ from you now of all times?! You whine and try to pull away.

"Bear with me, Jake," he says. "Gotta get the venom out, alright?"

Venom? Caliborn's bitten you plenty of times before but you've never died! You push him again, but he keeps drinking, and your lightheadedness returns tenfold. You've lost so much blood already... Dirk seems to think along the same lines.

"Fuck," he breathes, pulling away after he licks the wound a final time, closing it. "I can't get it all. It's spread too much."

"Am...I going to die?"

"No, it's not that kinda venom. I'm willin' to bet it's how he—well. We can deal with that in a little bit. But you'll be fine, I swear. I'm gonna stay with you, baby."

You flop into him, still crying feebly. "Don't take me home like this," you moan. "Gramma has enough to worry about and she never knew about Caliborn."

"You can stay with me," he coos, nuzzling into you. "I can't be separated from you tonight anyway. Need to see you with my own eyes and know you're alright."

You calm down at the prospect of him holding you all night, and you unashamedly crawl forward until you're in his lap, wrapped around him like a jacket. He doesn't seem to mind.

"Nah, that's cool. Just saved y'alls asses and I don't even get a greeting? Not even a proper introduction to the human you're stranglin'."

Dirk groans and mutters a strong, "Go AWAY, Dave," into your hair. You look curiously up at the stranger who saved you.

"Dave..." you say quietly to yourself. Dirk's _brother_ Dave?! And here you are, crying on top of Dirk like a baby! What a nifty first impression you're making!

"Nah. Also, why the fuck are you hurt, anyway? You let him get the drop on you, didn't you? Fuck, man, you always told me 'never let a demon get you to the ground' and there you are, on the ground. You know how long I've been waitin' for you to screw up? Pretty damn long. This is a joyous day," Dave says so quickly it's hard to follow. He raises his eyebrow at your staring, and you hurriedly blush and stammer an apology.

"S-sorry!"

"He's cute," Dave says matter-of-factly. "Still a human though. God, tonight's just full of you messin' up all over, ain't it, bro? Gettin' hurt, droolin' all over a human. Almost like you didn't learn your lesson last time."

Last time?

"Go _away,_ Dave!" Dirk growls again, turning to glare at him. "Fine, _thank_ you, I owe you one. Now go the fuck away!"

"Nah," Dave says again, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's been boring and I haven't seen you in a while. I'm gonna just sit here and enjoy this moment."

You sit awkwardly as Dirk continues to cling to you, murmuring insults at Dave under his breath. You look up at the lanky Strider and offer him a shaky grin.

"Um. I'm Jake English. I'm..."

"My boyfriend," Dirk finishes for you.

"Yeah, kinda figured," Dave says. "Dirk's got a big brain but it's full of the snowy stuff that tells you your T.V. doesn't work."

You get the feeling Dave doesn't like you very much. You don't blame him. You _did_ kind of get his brother hurt.

"Hey, assholes," the demon with the 3D glasses says, gaining all of your attentions. He's holding up an unconscious Karkat and you whine, trying to stand up and reach him, but you're so wobbly!

"You alright, Sollux?" Dirk asks him. So that _is_ Sollux. He looks like he's pissed off, but that could just be his face. You probably shouldn't ask.

"Good as can be. I'm gonna get back to my programming and leave this dweeb in the floor. Maybe run over him with my swivel chair a few times."

"Be nice to him!" you say frantically. "Karkat is my friend!"

"Yeah, yeah. He's talked about you," Sollux says, offering you a look that might be...pitying? "I'll take care of him."

In a flash, he's gone, carrying Karkat with him. You'll have to make sure Karkat's okay later when you can actually see straight.

"Who the fuck was that?" Dave asks.

"Sollux," Dirk replies. "You met him when you were like, two. Not surprised you don't remember him."

"I like his glasses."

"You fuckin' would."

Dirk shifts around and lifts you up, cradling you close to him as he moves forward to grab his sword, and then further to the left to put his shades back on. He gives Dave a look.

"Don't you have anything better to do than bug the fuck out of me?"

"You know, normally I'd be all 'fuck yeah I do', but really I don't. It's been dead as shit lately and that's why I answered the call so fast to come here and save your sorry ass," Dave shrugs. "What are y'all up to now, anyway?"

You yawn and curl closer to Dirk. "I have an early shift tomorrow," you say. "I should probably be hitting the hay soon."

Dave sighs for an impressive amount of time.

"Fine, go sleep and be old losers. I'll find somethin' to do."

"Yeah, go find a life. You've only been failin' at it the past hundred years or so," Dirk grunts.

"This is _not_ the way you're supposed to treat me after I saved your ass," Dave huffs.

"How many times have I saved yours over the years? Too many to count. I take back what I said earlier, I don't owe you shit. This just takes one away from the massive pile of favors you owe me."

"I hope your fuckin' hair falls out."

"I hope your computer crashes and dies and all your shit comics get deleted."

They stare at each other silently before Dave flicks him off and turns around, leaving the graveyard.

"Thank you!" you call after him. "He saved us, Dirk! You should be nicer!"

"It's _Dave_, baby. If I was nice he might have an aneurysm. Now let's get you to my place and clean you up."

He holds you closely and runs fast toward his place, but not as fast as you'd seen him move before. He must be trying to be careful for your sake and make the ride less bumpy for you. You smile and nuzzle into his neck, kissing the skin gently. He's so good to you. He's so much more than you deserve.

You look up curiously when he stops walking. You're in front of a very ordinary looking house in an extremely normal neighborhood.

"Home sweet home," he says, moving to unlock the door. You look around and try to see everything as best as you can in total darkness but all you see are shapes. To your surprise, he carries you _downstairs_, flipping a switch to light the total blackness clouding your vision. You see a fully furnished basement that he's turned into a bedroom. There are no windows and...there's an extremely soft looking king sized bed in the corner that looks like it's been recently used. He grins at your expression.

"Expecting a coffin in a cave?" he asks, and you bristle.

"No!" You totally were.

"Thing is, I sleep during the day. Why the fuck am I gonna do that in something as depressing as a coffin? Nah, I'll take my bed. Come to think of it, you can sleep right in there with me." He winks at you. "_After_ you're cleaned up."

"Am I gross?" You don't think you're _that_ bloody.

"Yes. You were crawling around in a graveyard. Plus that fuckin' monster was—" He growls and carries you to the bathroom. "Anyway, you could use a shower. But I think a bath would be better now."

You watch as he fills the tub with hot water, leaning into him subconsciously. He looks at you uncertainly when the tub is full.

"You want me to get out? I'll just be in the other room."

You shake your head. "I don't think I can get out of my clothes alone," you say, embarrassed.

He nods and gently helps pull your shirt off, and then your jeans and boxer-briefs. They're covered in little green skulls since you weren't expecting him to _see_ them so soon, but he doesn't comment. You wince as he sets you in the tub, and you grab his sleeve when he tries to turn away again.

"Stay..." you say softly. "Please?"

He looks relieved, like he wanted you to say that, and he leans next to the tub, kissing your hair. You whimper when his lips press against a sore patch—where your head slammed against the tombstone, you recall. He frowns and rubs in gently.

"I can't heal that..." he muses. "Are you disoriented at all? Should I be worried about a concussion?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm just...extremely tired." You lean against the wall of the tub and close your eyes. "I'm so sorry I wasn't honest with you, Dirk."

"Jake..."

"No, let me finish. I was never intending to tell you about him. How could I? He—he did horrible things to me. He said he'd kill my grandmother if I went against him so there was no way I could fight him, even if I _was_ strong enough. And he..." You swallow. This is the hard part. "He only let me go because...it stopped being fun for him. I stopped fighting. He...he broke me."

Dirk looks at you sadly, petting your bangs away from your forehead. "Broke you?" he asks quietly.

You look at the bathwater in favor of looking at him as you whisper, "I tried to kill myself."

It's so silent in the bathroom that the sound of a drop of water leaking into the tub from the faucet makes you jump. You look to the side to see Dirk's gripping the edge so hard his knuckles are white.

You show him your wrist and the long white scar running from your wrist to your forearm, not daring to look at his face.

"It was hopeless," you say almost inaudibly. "He was coming for me every morning, every night. He would pull me away from my friends, disguised as a human, and then he'd—_defile_ me in every way he knew how. I couldn't fight him and I couldn't find anyone that could. So I...I did this. And it was so _stupid_, so _selfish_. What would Gramma have done if I'd died?" You growl at your own stupidity. "But I didn't cut deep enough. As bad as it looks, it wasn't enough to kill me. I passed out and when I woke up, Karkat was sitting next to my bed, looking like he wanted to kill me and hug me at the same time. I eventually told him the whole story, and he's the only one who knows. Aside from you now. Caliborn didn't come back after that. I don't know if it was because he...actually _cared_, but I highly doubt it. He basically confirmed tonight that I wasn't making it fun for him anymore. Until now. Now that you're in the picture he's not going to stop. You've given him a challenge and he'll be back. He's never going to leave me alone."

You yelp as Dirk slides in the water with you, fully clothed, to hug you to him.

"Dirk! What the—I'm _in the bath_!"

"Baby..." he says quietly, kissing your cheeks and then your lips. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't in your life sooner. That you had to go through..._that_. Caliborn better pray I don't see his ass again because I'm gonna tear him to pieces—_Jake_..."

You tilt against him and sigh, hugging him to you. "You're not going to leave me? Even knowing all the...baggage that comes along with me?"

"I could never just _leave you_, Jake," he mumbles. "Especially because some piece of shit decided to mistreat you for so long. I'm here for you, baby. I already told you I love you. That means a helluva lot more to me than just ditchin' you for somethin' that's not even your fault."

You tear up again and hug him closer, sniffling as you pet through his damp hair. "I love you, too..."

He tenses in your arms. Shit! Were you not supposed to say that?

"You don't have to say it back," he says softly, pulling away to look at you. "We just got together today...I understand if you wanna wait a while to make it more official. Vampires move a lot faster than your kind. I can go as slow as you need, though."

You shake your head and kiss him lovingly. "It's more than just how long we've been together and how long I've known you. It's—I feel like I'm..._supposed_ to be with you. As soon as I spoke to you, it felt that way. And I've never felt something like that in my life! And you know everything about me and all the bullshit I cause and you're...still here. You still want to be with me and that just confirms what I've been thinking all night. I love you. And I...I've never said that to anyone before aside from family but I _mean_ it, Dirk. I love you and I want to stay with you. For...as long as you'll have me."

You grin at him uncertainly and he makes a small noise as he pulls you into another kiss, this one firmer and more heated than the last. You gasp and nip his bottom lip, mindful of the fact that both of you are _in the tub_ but you're too riled up to care much. He presses you into the wall and kisses you stupid and you're certain your lips are swollen from all the attention. Finally he pulls away and leans his forehead against yours.

"I want you forever, Jake. It's—so weird you described exactly how I felt when I saw you. Like I _needed_ to be with you. But that's nothing unusual for a vampire." He grins at you. "You sure you're human?"

"Fairly certain!" you laugh, kissing him again. "But...erm. I think I should wash off now."

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. Fuck." He gets out of the tub, dripping wet, and you can't help the way your eyes stray to the front of his jeans.

He must have _really_ liked kissing you.

You let him go into the next room to change while you borrow his toiletries. His shampoo looks and smells expensive compared to yours. But then again you buy dollar brands to save money. He must be really successful to have this nice house and all these wonderful things!

You're rinsing off again when you feel...odd. Like you're getting hotter from the inside out. Worried, you touch your face, wondering if you're getting a fever. Everything is _burning_!

"Dirk!" you call worriedly, fidgeting in the water and moaning at the strange feeling. It's starting to _hurt_. _"Dirk!"_

He runs back in, carrying some of his clothes for you, and you notice his eyes stray down to your lap. He swallows, his eyes huge as he moves back toward you.

"The venom," he says gently, kneeling beside the tub again. "He was using it to—arouse you. You're okay, I'm here..."

"Make it _stop_," you whine, giving him a pitiful look. "_Please_ Dirk—_hurts_!"

He makes a small noise, his eyes shifting down again before shooting back up to yours. "Are—are you sure? It's your body reacting to what _he_ did to you...I don't want to do anything like that until you _want_ it, Jake."

"I _do_ want you, I—DIRK!" you cry out.

There's a small splash as his hand plunges in the water, and you moan unashamedly as his fingers wrap around your arousal, pumping you fast. You grip the sides of the tub and lean back, pressing your hips further up into his grasp.

"Dirk...nnnm! Dirk! Feels—still hot...still..."

"Shhh, let me take care of you," he says into your ear, his voice sweet and low. "Give it to me, Jake. Let it go, okay?"

You whimper and nod dumbly as he pumps you to release, your body jerking as you cry out his name. You sink into the water, shaking from the force of your orgasm. You're barely aware of him lifting you and drying you off, helping you into some of his clothes. You giggle sleepily at how big they are on you, his pajama pants falling off your hips. You sigh gratefully when your back meets a soft surface and he moves in next to you, holding you close to him.

"Feelin' better?" he asks quietly.

"Mmhmm," you murmur, snuggling closer to him greedily. It's only when you're closer that you notice his own pressing need. "Dirk...?"

"Sorry," he says, pulling his hips away from you.

"Nnn...no, I was..." You yawn, reaching for him. "Let me help you..."

He gasps softly as your hand presses into the front of his pajama bottoms, cupping him firmly. His hands move to your shoulders.

"Jake—_fuck_," he breathes. "Y-you really...don't have to..."

"I know I don't _have_ to," you say, looking down as you reach into his pajamas, grabbing him directly. "I _want_ to."

He buries his face in your hair as you return the favor, your hand gaining speed as it works over him. He makes tiny sounds he tries to muffle, his hands tightening around your shoulders as he comes in your hand, his body sinking into the bed like it completely exhausted him. You know the feeling. You're so tired you can't even keep your eyes open!

You move closer to him again, tucking your face into his neck as your arms wrap around his waist. You try to keep your soiled hand off his sheets but you're pretty sure you fail miserably. He doesn't seem to care. He kisses your hair and makes a happy, contented noise, pulling you even firmer against him, your body melding to his.

You smile to yourself at how tenderly he's holding you, how he asked you if he could touch you. He treats you so wonderfully. He's exactly what you were always longing for on those miserable nights after Caliborn would leave you stripped of your dignity. You've never been held as you've fallen asleep. Not like this, at least. You don't think your grandmother counts.

"Love you, Dirk..." you mumble into his neck. "Love you..."

You don't hear his response, but you know when you wake up, he'll still be there. And that's all you need to feel safe and warm as you drift off in his arms.


End file.
